What Tomorrow Brings
by Chameleon777
Summary: Alternate Ending to "Lost Son." What would happen if things had turned out differently? Note: I altered timelines a bit and both this and the Third Watch story happen in 2004 with the absence/alteration of certain characters and plots.
1. Hanging in the Balance

The hospital waiting room was quiet.

It had been only a few hours since Tim Speedle, of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, had been critically wounded while investigating at a jewellery store with his boss, Lieutenant Horatio Caine. Thankfully, Horatio had immediately contacted paramedics and Speedle was rushed to the hospital.

For the moment, Speedle was alive. He was currently in surgery, hanging on by mere threads.

Tim's parents, Anthony and Rosa Speedle, sat huddled together on a plush couch that was against the far wall of the waiting room. As soon as they had heard of their son being shot, everything in their lives was put on hold and they quickly came to Miami to be with their son, if he survived, that is.

They were alone in the quiet waiting room….Or so it seemed.

Emily Mannis, who was a trauma counselor at the hospital, silently lingered in the doorway, gazing at the distraught couple. She was dressed in a blue sweater and dark slacks, with her blonde hair pulled back from her face, but despite her attractive looks, including dark blue eyes, her personality was heavily guarded.

Even though she was only 25, going on 26, Emily had the reputation of being the toughest, but most compassionate trauma counselor in the entire county.

Her professionalism and empathetic side came out when she was at work, helping others to recover from trauma. Emily sighed, she had just gotten word of an employee of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab being critically wounded in the line of duty and, like with every other case, she was here to help.

Walking over to where the Speedles were huddled together, Emily sat in a chair that placed her in front of them. Not knowing who she was, Frank and Rosa looked at Emily curiously.

"I'm Emily Mannis," Emily spoke, noticing the looks of confusion on the couple's faces. "I'm a trauma counselor at the hospital. I hope I'm right in assuming that you are Tim Speedle's parents?"

Anthony nodded, "Yes," he said, feeling at ease. "I'm Anthony Speedle and this is my wife, Rosa. I am very appreciative that the hospital is providing someone for Timothy to talk to while he recovers."

Emily paused, then spoke, "May I ask how Tim became wounded in the line of duty?"

Rosa, despite her worry, chose to speak, "From what Lieutenant Caine told us, they were doing some police work at a jewellery store and were ambushed," she said. "As far as we know, Tim's in surgery and we are just hoping and praying that he can live through this."

"Who is Lieutenant Caine?" Emily asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Lieutenant Caine is Tim's boss and he works at the Miami-Dade Crime Lab," Anthony said.

"Interesting," Emily said, raising an eyebrow. "I might have to speak with Lieutenant Caine about this as well, as I try to talk with all people who were involved in a trauma, as I believe that it can help contribute to a more complete recovery for the patient."

Nodding, Rosa spoke, "I see," she said, impressed with Emily's tactics. "Ms. Mannis, if Tim survives, he will need help to deal with it as quickly as possible. Would you consider coming back and visiting with Timothy in a couple of days when he has his strength back?"

Emily nodded, knowing full well that it would be more than a couple of days before the man got his strength back enough for many visitors, "Of course I will, Mrs. Speedle," she spoke, smiling at the concerned mother.

"Here is my cell phone number," Emily spoke, as she took a business card out of her pants pocket and handed it to Rosa. "When your son is up to visitors, give me a call and we can arrange a time."

Rosa nodded gratefully. Slipping the card into her own pocket, she murmured a thank you and buried her head in her husband's shoulder. In response, Anthony kissed her head and sighed, rocking his wife tenderly.

Sensing that the Speedles needed time alone to process and accept what had happened and any possible outcomes, Emily quietly left the room and started off down the hallway to the elevator which would deliver her to the nearest exit. She was going on a hunt of her own.

Hopefully, in her hunt, she would find Lieutenant Caine, who seemed to be a prime key in the puzzle that had been given to her by the will of God. Hopefully, she could meet the challenge with success and grace.


	2. Precious Secrets

"Last I heard, Speed was still in surgery," Horatio said, gazing at Calleigh and Eric through his sunglasses, grateful that his emotions could be hidden so well. "The hospital will call here if anything happens."

Eric nodded, but didn't reply. He had suddenly noticed a woman stepping off an elevator on to the CSI lab.

Emily looked around the floor and saw three people, two men and a woman, standing in a group about halfway down the hallway. One of them must be Lieutenant Caine, she thought, as she moved forward.

"Excuse me, do any of you know where I can find a Lieutenant Horatio Caine at?" Emily asked, as she approached the group. "It's important that I meet with him."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "I'm Eric Delko, crime scene investigator," he said, sceptical of Emily's inquisitiveness. "Who are you to be looking for Lieutenant Caine?"

Emily gave Eric a sharp glance, "I need to discuss Tim Speedle with him," she snapped. "Not that it's your business about why I'm here."

Hearing Speed's name mentioned, Horatio stepped forward and removed his sunglasses, "I'm Lieutenant Horatio Caine," he said, placing the glasses in his pocket. "You wish to speak with me about Speed?"

"I'm Emily Mannis, a trauma counselor at the hospital," Emily explained, ignoring the curious glances that Eric and Calliegh were giving her. "I've just come from the hospital, where I had the chance to speak with Tim's parents about the incident. They mentioned that you were his boss and were with him at the time of the shooting….."

Suddenly, feeling uneasy about something, Emily broke out and, looking behind her, she shuddered.

"Um, I'm sorry," Emily gently apologized, taking a step back. "I need to get home for the night."

Emily stepped back and was ready to turn, but Horatio moved forward, "It's getting dark," he said, concerned for the woman's change in behavior. "I'll drive you to your home. These days it's not safe for a young woman to walk alone at night, especially here."

As much as she wanted to argue, Emily did not want to share her concerns with these strangers, so she nodded, "That would be very nice," she said. "Thank you."

Horatio turned and began walking down the hall towards the elevator.

Eric and Calliegh looked at each other and then at Emily. Was she telling the truth about why she was there? Or was she just some civilian with psychological problems trying to pretend things?

Feeling as if Eric and the woman were scrutinizing her as a criminal, Emily turned and followed Horatio.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been several hours and now, as night approached, it was over.

Soft, steady beeping sounded out as nurses rolled an unconscious Tim Speedle, who was adorned with heavy bandages, blankets, and medical equipment meant to stabilize and monitor his critical condition, from the O.R. and past the waiting room where his parents hovered in the doorway, silently watching.

Even though it was serious, Tim Speedle was still alive.

As nurses wheeled the gurney off to an isolated recovery area in the Intensive Care Unit so that recovery would not be threatened by possible risk of infection, the surgeon, who had dutifully followed the gurney, stopped where the man's parents stood and he began to explain what happened in the operating room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hmm…a officer named Ryan Wolfe wants to see me?" Horatio spoke into his cell-phone, having received a call that there was someone at the lab wanting to speak with him. "Keep him there, Eric, and I'll deal with it as soon as I address this current situation…..Yes, it's a very important situation."

Horatio closed his phone and placed it in his jacket pocket. He was very suspicious of the woman he had just dropped off at what turned out to be a fake address.

Shortly after, thinking that he had left, the woman had fled across a nearby field and wondering about the mystery behind this woman, Horatio had secretly followed her in his Humvee.

For blocks, the woman had quickly travelled further away from the fake address until she finally entered a poor, dangerous neighborhood that was filled with dilapidated houses and apartment buildings.

Finally, she had stopped at a two-plex on a corner and had entered the door on the right, looking both ways to ensure she wasn't being followed before she disappeared inside. Fortunately, Horatio had abandoned the Humvee and hidden in some nearby bushes, so he had not been noticed.

Why had that woman lied about where she lived? Horatio wondered, as he rose and moved forward.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Emily, are you all right?" Jessi Turner, a brown haired woman with dark brown eyes asked, as she stood and watched Emily hurry into a back bedroom in the apartment. She was not Emily's lover, but their friendship was very tight and they trusted each other with the deepest of secrets from the past.

There was silence for a moment. Then, following the sounds of giggling, Emily came into the room holding an infant boy and leading an infant girl, both dressed in yellow, star-patterned pajamas.

Emily sat on her blue, second-hand, plush couch and set the boy next to her. Jessi picked up the girl and sat on the couch, holding the girl on her knee.

"Jessi, it's been a really stressful day," Emily admitted. "I just got involved with some police people and they think I'm a criminal. I am very intimidated just by being around them."

Before Jessi could ask more questions, there was a knock at the door. Thinking that it was a nosy salesman or some poor teen at the door, Emily stood, and quickly walked over to it. She opened the door.

Her eyes widened when she saw who it was, "Lieutenant Caine?" she asked, shocked. "What are you doing here and how did you find out where I actually live?"

Horatio lingered in the doorway, "I followed you here," he admitted, gazing at the other woman and the infants before gazing back at Emily, "I believe you owe me an explanation, Miss Mannis."

Remaining silent, Emily stepped aside and allowed Horatio to enter. She had no other choice but that.

As the door was closed, there was a dead silence within the walls of the dilapidated apartment….


	3. Fear and Mistrust

Emily quickly handed the infant boy to Jessi, who took the infant girl by the hand and hurried into the back room. Jessi was now worried that Emily was in trouble with the police, as she immediately recognized Lieutenant Caine and knew he had probably come from the Miami-Dade Crime Lab.

"Lieutenant Caine, I think you'd better sit down," Emily said, rising from the couch. "I am going to explain myself a little bit and you may be a bit surprised."

Horatio sat and took off his sunglasses, "Little in life doesn't surprise me, Miss Mannis," he said, placing his sunglasses in his jacket pocket. "Nevertheless, I am interested in what I am going to hear."

"Well, the infants you saw belong to me, first of all," Emily said, sitting on the couch next to Horatio. "James and Julliet are about three years old, but they are the sweetest children anyone could ask for. Jessi looks after them while I'm working and is a great confidant…."

Realizing that she might have said too much, Emily broke off and stared at the floor, embarrassed and worried that Lieutenant Caine might ask her more about her horrific past.

Sensing Emily's sudden discomfort, Horatio cleared his throat, "I was just curious about why you came by the lab looking for me," he explained in a calm tone. "I got a little suspicious when you seemed edgy about me asking where you lived. Secondly, you were lying about your address, which concerns me."

Emily sighed, "If you were a psychologist at one of Miami's best hospitals and after work, you had to come home to this dump and be a single parent to two infants, wouldn't you be secretive?" she snapped, giving Horatio an exasperated look. "It's better that people don't know where I live."

Horatio was silent and studied Emily's nervous facial expression, "You aren't under arrest or anything, Miss Mannis," he said, concerned by her fear. "I am merely curious about why you lied."

"I am NOT going to talk about my past, if that's what you're after," Emily retorted, well aware that her voice was betraying fear. "I only wanted to talk to you about Mr. Speedle, that's ALL."

Horatio sighed, but before he could speak again, his cell-phone rang, "Hello, this is Lieutenant Caine…" he said, pulling it out of his pocket and answering it. "Oh, that is good to hear….thank you, goodbye."

Snapping the phone shut, Horatio returned it to his pocket, "Speed's father just phoned me and said that Speed survived the surgery," he said, standing. "I might visit him tomorrow."

Emily nodded, "G-Give my regards to the Speedle family and let them know I can begin counselling sessions whenever Timothy is feeling up to it," she said, trying to mask her nervousness.

Horatio gave a brief nod and moved towards the door, "Well, goodnight, Miss Mannis," he said, placing a card on a small table. "There's my card if you ever need someone to talk to."

Emily nodded and, as Horatio left, she breathed a deep sigh of relief and stood. Shaking, she went into the bedroom to talk to Jessi and check on her babies. It had been a long, stressful day for her.

* * *

Outside the apartment, Horatio, who still had Emily and her nervous demeanor on his mind, got into is Humvee and within moments, he drove off, not thinking that anyone else was outdoors.

However, a man, who was ladened with a past of evil and hate, suddenly poked his face through the bushes.

"So, that TRAMP has herself a cop boyfriend now, does she?" the man hissed to himself, as he quietly rose from the bushes and stole away into the night. "I'll get them all…their silence will be GOLDEN…."

Not wanting anyone to see him, the man cackled and quickly disappeared into a darkened alleyway.


	4. Eyes Are Always Watching

Jarring himself awake, Tim sighed and fumbled for the pain button that hung beside his bed.

Despite being off the breathing tube and able to talk, Tim knew that he was still in very bad shape: there were chest tubes still in his lungs that had been punctured by bullets, several of his ribs had been broken by the bullet, his kidney had been damaged and the bullets had injured his lumbar artery when it exited his body. He had missed being shot in the heart by mere inches.

He had been in the hospital for two weeks and was already getting tired of having IV's in him and bandages all over his chest and abdomen. At least he could feel his legs, for that he was grateful.

His parents had rarely left his side, even when he was intubated and in a medicated coma for those first few days. Once he was declared stable, they took small breaks to eat and sleep.

Since he was currently alone, Tim figured that his parents were on one of their breaks.

It took a minute for the pain medication to kick in, but when it did, Tim gave a sigh of relief.

Because of the severity of his condition, the hospital had limited visitors to Tim's parents and for that, he was grateful. He didn't really mind that, as he was nervous about seeing his colleagues.

However, just the other day, Tim and his parents had talked about counseling now that he was able to breathe on his own and speak. They said it would help him recover better and he agreed.

A counselor would be coming to talk to him that morning, which was probably why he was alone now, Tim reasoned. It would be easier to talk if the two of them were alone with no distractions.

The question was, did he really want to talk to some stranger about what happened to him?

With the pain button still clutched in his hand, Tim began to silently reflect on what happened and how he was still around when, by all rights, he should have died.

* * *

Placing a pair of sunglasses on his face, Bernard Marquez entered the hospital and moved over to the row of payphones just off the admit desk. He pretended to be making a call.

The elevator doors opened and out of the corner of his eye, Bernard saw Emily's nanny, Jessi, who was dressed in jeans, boots, and a long-shirt, step off the elevator pushing a stroller that contained an infant boy and infant girl who were dressed in nice infant clothes and shoes.

As Jessi rolled the stroller into the lobby and out of the hospital, Bernard inserted some money into the phone and dialed a familiar number. He waited impatiently as the phone rang.

"Hey, it's Bernie," Bernard whispered into the receiver. "Is she gonna be working tonight?"

There was murmuring on the other end and Bernard grinned, "Excellent," he replied in a whisper, adjusting his sunglasses. "You go there and wait until she's alone...I have other things to do."

"Yes, yes, you'll be scot free when everything's done," Bernard whispered into the phone. "Go make yourself look presentable so that you'll blend in with the rest of the crowd...I know you're a slob most of the time, so I definitely insist on it...Seriously, Wolfe, don't be stupid..."

Muffled shouting could be heard on the phone, "I swear, Wolfe, if you DON'T do this, I will make sure my guys find you and kill you," Bernard hissed. "Remember what happened last time you messed with me? You're so lucky that I didn't kill you despite you being a cop..."

The shouting stopped and there were soft murmurs, "Good boy," Bernard whispered, amusement in his voice. "I knew your mercy would help me in the end...Just do what I tell you...Goodbye."

Bernard set the receiver down and grinned maliciously, working to keep his face hidden.

Through sources that were planted all over Miami, he knew all that Emily had been up to since they had divorced. He also knew that she was in a relationship with a police lieutenant.

Thanks to help from an police contact who had arrested him in the past for another offense who had suffered an attack as a result, Bernard had been able to formulate the perfect plan.

If only everything went off without a hitch. Otherwise, there would be a greater price to pay.

* * *

Removing the sunglasses from his face, Horatio lingered in the doorway to Speed's hospital room, watching as Speed lay there with his eyes closed and a hand around the pain button.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he entered the room and stopped beside the bed, "Hey H," Tim suddenly said, opening his eyes and gazing at Horatio. "I wondered when you would come by..Have a seat."

"Speed, how are you feeling?" Horatio asked, taking a seat in a chair near the bed.

Tim managed a small smile, "I'm alive," he said in a tired voice. "H, when I'm out, I want to come back to work...I've had a lot of time to think about it and I still want to work as a CSI."

"What do your parents think of that?" Horatio, intrigued by Speed's decision.

Tim shrugged, "They were concerned, but I'm an adult and can make my own decisions," he replied. "Besides, it's gonna be a while before I can actually go back to work and I'm going to be staying with them when I get out of here, so they'll have time to get used to the idea."

"Well, I have someone working at the lab until you can come back," Horatio admitted, as he wanted to be honest with his friend and colleague. "He's a patrol officer named Ryan Wolfe and he just needs some time away from the streets...When you're cleared to work, I'll send him back to patrol...I already told him that the job was a temporary one and he wanted it anyway."

Nodding, Tim sighed, "I am so tired of being in this hospital," he confessed. "My parents want me to talk to a shrink about what happened...one's coming to my room today for an intro session."

"Well, you did almost die," Horatio commented. "You were lucky, Speed, you really were."

Tim nodded, "I was lucky that you managed to keep me alive until paramedics showed," he replied, remembering how he had passed out while Horatio repeatedly did CPR on him.

"Maybe that's something you can talk about with your counselor," Horatio stated as he placed his sunglasses back on his face. "What time is your counselor supposed to arrive?"

Shrugging, Tim sighed, "I have no idea," he replied. "Hopefully, I'll still be awake by then."

"Oh, you'll be awake, Mr. Speedle, I guarantee it," a soft voice suddenly said.

* * *

Horatio and Speed looked over at the doorway just in time to see a woman, who was dressed in a gray pantsuit and black boots with her blonde hair on the top of her head in a tight bun, enter the room, "I'm Emily Mannis, Mr. Speedle, nice to meet you," she said, her look nervous as she saw Horatio sitting in a chair near the bed. "Lieutenant Caine, I didn't know you were going to be here."

Tim looked at Horatio and then at Emily, "You two know each other?" he asked.

"It's nothing to cause alarm," Emily stated in a tone that faltered between nervous and reassuring. "I believe the Lieutenant was just leaving so we could have our first session."

Sighing, Emily gave Horatio a pointed look and pulled a pen and notepad from her jacket pocket.

"Well, Speed, I need to get back to work," Horatio said as he rose from the chair. "Enjoy your counseling session. We'll keep in touch about how you're healing up, all right?"

Making a mental note to figure out why Emily was acting so strangely, Horatio left the room in silence. Emily closed the door and took a seat in a chair near the bed.

Placing the notepad on her lap, Emily looked at Tim, "Before we begin, Mr. Speedle, I would just like you to know that our sessions will be confidential and nothing said in them will be repeated to anyone else unless you give your permission," she said in a reassuring voice. "At any time you feel uncomfortable, you are free to request another counselor and it will be provided."

Tim nodded, "I think I'm comfortable with you as my counselor for now," he replied in a soft tone.

"All right, now that we've established ground rules, where would you like to start?" Emily asked, giving Tim a reassuring smile that quickly melted into a look of genuine curiosity.

"I want to go back to work once I'm healed up," Tim explained, noting the curious look on Emily's face. "Working as a CSI is my life, my passion...I can't stop living because I almost died."

Emily nodded and, looking down, she made a few notes, "How do your parents and colleagues feel about this decision you've made?" she asked, gazing back up at Tim.

"My parents will have enough time to get used to the idea," Tim replied. "My boss, H, was just here and pretty much implied that I'd be welcome back when I was well enough...He said that a patrol officer was hired on just to keep my place in the lab warm for me."

Jotting more notes down, Emily gave another nod, "When do you think you'll be cleared to return to work?" she asked in a gentle tone. "I can hear the passion in your voice about what you do."

Tim managed a small grin, "I'm hoping that I can sweet-talk the doctor into letting me get out of the hospital in the next few days," he replied. "After that, I'm going to stay with my parents for a little while until I'm clear to go back to work...Once I'm back to work, I'll go back to my place."

"Well, the doctors here are pretty protective," Emily stated, making more notes. "Maybe if you promise to behave yourself and rest, they'll be nice...you could always give it a shot."

Without warning, Tim suddenly yawned and blinked, "Sorry," he admitted in an apologetic tone. "I took some pain meds a few minutes ago and it makes me tired."

"That's perfectly fine, Mr. Speedle," Emily said as she rose from the chair. "I think that's enough for an intro session anyway," she said in a gentle tone. "I can give you my card that has my cell-phone number on it when you want to schedule another session. Would that be all right?"

Tim nodded and Emily took a card out of her pocket, "Get some rest, Mr. Speedle," she said, gently placing the card in Tim's hand. "It was nice to meet you."

There were only soft breathing sounds, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

As she left the room walked down the hallway, Emily suddenly felt the cell-phone in her pocket vibrating. She stopped and, pulling the phone from her pocket, she saw that she had been texted.

_Emily,_

_Guess who? You know who this is and I know your every move._

_When you least expect it, I am going to strike and it's going to be very painful._

_If you thought I was vicious before, wait until you see what I have planned for you._

_Better keep an eye on the spawn that you birthed with my sperm, they could disappear._

_Always Watching You_

_Bernard_

Her eyes widening in terror, Emily closed the phone and, throwing it in her pocket, she began to run as fast as she could towards the elevators. She pressed the down button and waited.

As the door slid open and Emily fled into the elevator, she didn't see a pair of eyes watching her.

* * *

Day turned into night fairly quickly and with it, the nightclubs of Miami came to life.

Having exchanged their professional attire for some casual clothing, Eric and Calleigh walked through the doors of _Vision, _a beachside hotspot that had only been open for two years.

The music was loud and crowds of people were dancing, drinking, or talking as party lights and a disco ball flashed from the ceiling. Eric and Calleigh held hands so not to get separated.

"I can't believe you talked me into coming to a club," Calleigh said as they walked across the dance floor and over to the lounge area. "I hope they serve non-alcoholic drinks here."

Eric grinned, "You don't want to dance first?" he asked in a sly tone.

Calleigh sighed and patted Eric's arm, "I'm not a fan of being jostled on a crowded dance floor, even if you're my dance partner," she replied in an amused tone. "Let's go get some drinks."

Nodding, Eric followed Calleigh over to the bar, unsurprised to see a blonde, female bartender at the bar with her back turned and a long semi-curly ponytail descending down her back.

"Excuse me," Eric said in a polite tone, tapping the counter. "Can we get something to drink?"

The bartender turned around and Eric's eyes widened at the sight of Emily standing there dressed completely in black with an apron on and her hair pulled back out of her face. She looked nervous.

"What can I get for you two?" Emily asked, her tone slightly nervous at seeing Eric there.

Eric crossed his arms, a suspicious look on his face, "I thought you were a trauma counselor at the hospital where Speed's recovering," he stated in a confused tone. "What are you doing here?"

"It's complicated," Emily replied, gazing down at the counter. "What would you like to drink?"

Calleigh gave Eric a look, "Eric, I'm going to go find the bathroom," she said, releasing his hand and moving away, intending to call Horatio with the fact that Emily Mannis was a bartender, as it seemed suspicious that she had saying she was also a counselor.

"Do Speed's parents know that you're a bartender masquerading as a trauma counselor at a hospital?" Eric asked, anger in his voice. "Speed's been through a lot and-"

Suddenly feeling angry, Emily slapped the counter, "Look, I AM a trauma counselor and I have the degree in my office to prove it," she hissed. "I don't make a lot of money at counseling and there are certain expenses that I have to cover...expenses that are very special to me."

Before Eric could reply, another man, one who was dressed in a nice suit, came up to the bar and flashed a smile at Emily, "Can I get some margaritas?" he asked, ignoring Eric's presence.

Nodding, Emily turned her back and began mixing the drinks in silence. The man grinned.

* * *

Across the club, Ryan Wolfe, who was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt, frowned as he saw Alberto over at the bar, trying to play gentleman so that he could get his way with the bartender. The plan was to start a fight and snatch Emily in the chaos of things.

He was angry about the fact that despite sending him, Bernie obviously didn't trust him enough to do the job properly, hence he sent another guy along. Ryan did not take kindly to being a watcher, as he was more of a perfectionist doer with his OCD.

From what Ryan could see from his corner table, the bartender, Emily, was stunningly beautiful and he was jealous that he couldn't have a piece of it, but Bernard knew best.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ryan gazed down at his water on the rocks and studied the ice cubes.

For years, he had been under the control of an abusive psychopath who played mind games and instilled such fear into people that they never strayed. The price for his own safety was so high.

Suddenly, a scream broke out and from there, loud shouting and breaking glass could be heard.

Frowning, Ryan quickly rose from the table and moved towards the exit. If there was a fight breaking out, cops would be called, and as he had been newly hired, he wanted to lie low. Besides, he was a CSI for a while and had to keep his nose clean.

* * *

Across the city, in the safety of Emily's apartment, Jessi moved out of the back bedroom, having just put James and Juliet to bed for the night. She sighed and sank on to the couch.

As Emily's closest friend, Jessi knew that even though she had worked a long day at the hospital, Emily would have to work until two a.m. as a bartender. It was the only way to feed her kids.

Jessi cringed, as she knew that Emily hated working at that club, being ogled and occasionally felt up by drunken idiots that had nothing better to do with their nights. However, Jessi also knew that Emily loved her children more than anything else in the world and the pay was decent.

Grabbing the latest issue of Emily's favorite photography magazine off the coffee table, Jessi had just begun to flip through it when there was a sudden knock at the door.

Letting out a sigh, Jessi placed the magazine on the couch and, rising, she moved over to the door with a smile on her face. She opened the door with the lock securely in place.

"Hello?" Jessi asked, as she couldn't see anyone at the door and everything was quiet.

There was a click and without warning, several shots were fired, causing the lock to break.

In extreme pain, Jessi crumpled to the floor as a slight wind caused the door to blow open.

For a few moments there was again silence and then loud wails filled the air.


	5. Nightmares By Moonlight

As the Miami PD arrived at _Vision_ and began making their way into the club, Emily bolted away from the bar and through the sea of people, not caring where she ended up.

_She had been mixing the margaritas when the man had suddenly grabbed her from behind, "Hey, sweetie, wanna have some fun tonight?" the man hissed, pulling her close._

_Snarling, Emily had pulled away and finished making the margaritas, "Forget it, I'm working," she replied in a harsh tone, turning and handing him two margaritas. "Here's your drinks, go away."_

_Knocking the drinks off the counter, the man crawled over the bar and pinned her against the wall, "Oh no, honey, I want my money's worth," he slurred, caressing her face with his long nails._

_Repulsed, she pushed him away and was relieved to see Eric grab the guy, "All right, you heard the lady, leave her alone," Eric said, pulling the guy out from behind the bar. "Let's go."_

_The man swore and, wrenching away from Eric, he grabbed Emily and shoved her to the floor hard, "I'm not leaving until the bartender gives me what I really want."_

_Just as the man was going to get on top of Emily, Eric grabbed him again and threw him across the room, "Get a LIFE, man, seriously!" he yelled._

_Suddenly, another man moved behind the bar and broke off the end of one of the bottles that lined the mixing counter, "Back off, pretty boy, or I cut her," he hissed as he moved over to where Emily lay and pointed the broken bottle at her throat. "We only want Emily, no one else."_

_A few moments of silent tension passed as Eric stared at Emily and the two men._

_Without warning, the fire alarm sounded and overhead sprinklers went off._

_Loud screams could be heard and electric hisses could be heard as the water shorted out the music equipment and party lights. Overhead lights suddenly flashed on._

_Eric looked around and saw Calleigh standing by the fire alarm with a concerned look on her face._

_Not caring that she was being drenched, Emily shakily got to her feet and began to run._

Even though he could see Stetler coming towards him with some officers, Eric bolted in the direction that Emily had ran. She was hurt and soaked and he had to find her.

"DELKO!" Stetler's voice yelled after him. "COME BACK HERE!"

Ignoring Stetler's shouts, Eric ran out of the club, leaving utter chaos behind.

* * *

Not far from the club, Ryan staggered across the sand coughing and shivering in his wet clothes. He had just been leaving when the sprinklers had gone off, drenching him.

"Going somewhere, Wolfe?" a dark voice came out of the night.

Recognizing the voice, Ryan stopped in his tracks and turned to face a man completely clad in black and wearing sunglasses to hide his appearance, "You sent people," he hissed angrily.

"You're a COP, Wolfe, I can't trust you fully," the man stated. "I will give you another chance, though."

Shivering, Ryan nodded, "I'll do whatever you want, Bernie" he stuttered, his teeth chattering.

"Just lie low and be a good boy for your boss at the lab," Bernard hissed, laughing as his fist connected with Ryan's jaw. "Take that as a lesson for doubting my words."

Laughing, Bernard put an arm around Ryan and dragged over to the water's edge, "Now, Wolfe, lie down in the water and behave yourself," he hissed, shoving the cop to the ground roughly as he pulled out a knife. "Just say that you were attacked by a mugger...which, in a sense, will be true."

Bernard cut Ryan's forehead with the knife and then kicked him in the back, "Goodbye for now, Mr. Wolfe," he hissed, disappearing into the darkness. "I've done a lot of playing tonight."

Gritting his teeth, Ryan winced in pain and began to pull himself along the sand back towards the club.

* * *

Within the club, Horatio watched as uniformed officers led the two drunken men away and then looked at Calleigh, who had gloves on her hands and was putting Emily's cellphone in a bag. After pulling the fire alarm, she had hidden in the doorway where there were no sprinklers, so she was dry.

Once Horatio had arrived, he had gotten a basic rundown of what had happened: Calleigh had come out of the bathroom to find a woman on the floor and Eric fighting with two drunks. She had pulled the fire alarm and the woman had suddenly took off, with Eric following after her at a run.

"So, according to what you heard and saw, the two men attacking Miss Mannis referred to her as Emily?" Horatio asked, watching as Calleigh set the cell phone in a box and begin swabbing at the mixture of blood and alcohol that was on the floor. "Did you see where Eric ran?"

Before Calleigh could reply, there was a scuffle of shoes at the door, "Horatio, I need you over here!" Horatio heard Tripp shout. "Found someone that may have been a witness..."

Leaving Calleigh to work, Horatio moved across the dance floor that had now been vacated and over to where Frank and a paramedic were kneeling next to a man who was laying on the floor.

Suddenly recognizing the victim as Ryan, Horatio frowned, "Mr. Wolfe, I heard you may have been a witness to what happened here," he commented, taking in the fact that Ryan was completely drenched, covered in sand, with blood and bruising all over his face.

Cold and overwhelmed by the role he was expected to play, Ryan shivered, "My head's cloudy, sir," he replied in a weak voice. "I can't think straight...I'm so cold...Everything hurts."

"All right, get him into an ambulance, take him to a hospital, and when he's patched up, I want to talk to him," Horatio instructed the paramedic. "Frank, have you seen Eric by any chance?"

Frank shook his head, "Delko was here?" he asked. "I haven't seen him."

"Apparently, there was an altercation that Eric and a woman named Emily Mannis was involved in," Horatio stated. "Calleigh saw the fighting and pulled the fire alarm. Before she could do anything, however, Emily took off and Eric chased after her."

There was noise as paramedics loaded Ryan, who had been strapped to a backboard and covered with several blankets, on to a stretcher and wheeled him out of the club.

"Wolfe looks pretty shellshocked, I'll send a patrol cop to sit with him at the hospital as a precautionary measure," Frank commented, gesturing for one of the uniformed officers to follow the gurney. "It would sure help if we could find Delko and Miss Mannis..."

Horatio nodded, "I have an idea as to where she might have gone," he said in a quieter tone as he moved towards the exit. "I am also very sure that Eric won't be far from where she is."

* * *

Shivering from both a combination of fear and being soaked, Emily stumbled up the stairs to her apartment and was horrified to see the door wide open and blood on the mat.

Moving into her apartment, Emily flipped on the lights and screamed at the sight of Jessi's body on the floor in the middle of her living room with a large bloodstain on the chest.

"Emily?" Eric asked as he entered the apartment and saw the horror before him. "Oh man.."

Tears running down her face, Emily moved into the back bedroom while Eric examined the body.

Another scream suddenly sounded out, "My children are GONE!" Eric heard Emily sob.

Frowning, Eric moved into the back bedroom and was aghast at the sight of two open cribs with bloodstains on both mattresses. Emily was leaning against the dresser, sobbing uncontrollably.

"James and Juliet, my babies, gone," Emily whispered, placing a hand over her face as she continued to sob. "Jessi's dead...I KNOW he did this...I just know it..."

Reaching into his pocket, Eric pulled out his cell-phone and dialed 9-1-1, "This is Officer Delko requesting police and medical assistance at..." he stated, holding the phone to his ear.

As Eric continued explaining the situation, Emily threw up and promptly sank to the floor.

* * *

At the hospital, Tim lay asleep in his hospital bed while Rosa lingered quietly at the window, gazing out at the night sky. Her husband had left to get them some dinner from the cafeteria while she remained there, keeping watch over their eldest son as he healed.

Their younger son, Tim's brother, was a bit of a freefaller and never kept in contact with anyone.

Rosa sighed, she and Anthony had lived in New York for a long time and, upon hearing that Tim had moved to Miami and was working there, they had relocated and contacted their eldest son.

It was fortunate that they were around now, Rosa reflected, as Tim now needed a place to stay and rest once he was released from the hospital. He was very fortunate to have family.

Suddenly, Rosa felt her cell-phone begin to vibrate. Frowning, she pulled it from her pocket.

"Rosa Speedle," Rosa said in a whispered voice as she held the phone up to her ear.

There was silence as Rosa listened to the voice on the other end and she suddenly frowned, "...I see," she said in a quiet voice so not to wake Tim. "...All right, I'll be there shortly..."

Closing the phone, Rosa put it back in her pocket and sighed. She would have to leave.

Almost instantly, she heard footsteps and turned around just in time to see Anthony enter the room with a paper sack in his hand, "Are you okay with some day-old sandwiches and juice?" he asked, walking over to where Rosa stood. "I had to get them from vending machines..."

"Anthony, I just got a call from the Miami Police Department," Rosa stated in a worried tone as she gazed into her husband's eyes. "One of the kids I used to counsel is in deep trouble."

Compassion in his eyes, Anthony nodded, "Is it who I think it is?" he asked in a soft tone, remembering the soft-spoken girl who used to clean and wash dishes at one of their family restaurants as an escape from her broken, abuse-filled home life. "Is she all right?"

"I don't know," Rosa whispered, terror in her heart for the young girl who was probably now a woman. "I just know that I told her to call me if she ever needed help...I'm now a worker with Social Services, so, even if I didn't know her, the PD would probably involve me in this anyway."

Smiling sadly, Rosa moved over to the bed and gently ran a hand across Tim's forehead, "Tim, I have to leave for a little bit, honey, but your dad will be here," she said in a gentle voice.

"Mhm," Tim sleepily mumbled as his eyes remained closed and his body remained relaxed.

Placing a gentle kiss on Tim's forehead, Rosa quietly left the hospital room.

* * *

Ignoring the fact that cops were swarming her apartment looking for evidence, Emily remained huddled on the metal steps that led down to the sidewalk. A blanket covered her shoulders.

Eric stood nearby, concerned that despite paramedics being on scene, Emily refused to go to the hospital and get checked over. She had sat there for nearly an hour in absolute silence.

Alexx had come, assessed Jessi's body, and taken it to the morgue for an autopsy.

"Emily, I really think you should go to the hospital," Eric said in a gentle tone. "There's not anything more you can do here. You have hypothermia and possible injuries-."

Emily sighed, but remained silent and gazed down at the stairs. She felt so scared and alone.

That monster had killed her friend and taken her babies. He had broken her and taken her dignity many times in the past and now her heart was in tatters. There was nothing left for her.

Footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs, probably another cop to nag her, Emily thought.

"Miss Mannis, I thought I would find you here," a familiar voice suddenly said, causing Emily to look up in surprise at Horatio standing there. "I heard what happened...I am sorry."

Biting her lip, Emily felt her eyes filling with tears, "I am completely alone," she whispered in a sorrowful voice. "For once in my life, I have no idea how to handle a situation."

Horatio was silent for a moment and placed a gentle hand on Emily's shoulder, "The thing about life, Emily, is that nobody is ever truly alone," he stated in a gentle tone as he gazed down at her tear streaked face. "I think that for now, you should go to the hospital and get checked over."

"Lieutenant Caine, I know too many people there that don't know about my second job," Emily protested in an anxious voice. "If the hospital administration knew that I worked at a nightclub as a bartender to make ends meet, I'd be fired...The administration doesn't like me already..."

Horatio sighed, "Just tell them that you were on a date and you were attacked by people who were drinking," he said in a monotone voice. "Eric will go with you, he'll help confirm your story."

Knowing that she had no other place to go at the moment, Emily nodded and shakily got to her feet, "What am I supposed to do once the hospital releases me?" she asked, worried.

"Just go to the hospital for now," Horatio gently instructed her. "Eric, help her to the ambulance."

As Eric helped Emily walk down the stairs and to the waiting ambulance, Horatio turned and walked up the stairs into the apartment where the continuation of a mystery lingered.


	6. The Shadow Side of Helping

Ryan sighed and pulled the hospital blanket further up until it touched his pale neck.

After being brought to the hospital, Ryan had been undressed, given a gown, his head wound had been cleaned and stitched, and he was now in a hospital room for the night. His dirty clothes had been taken, tagged, and sent to the lab for processing, as well as some DNA samples.

The doctor had wanted to do a more thorough exam and x-rays, but Ryan had many secrets from the past that would be revealed with tests like that. He had protested and ended up being admitted overnight for observation. Now someone from the Miami PD was coming to talk to him.

Somehow, Horatio knew that he had been at the club before the fight, but did he know why?

"Wolfe, you can't seem to stay out of trouble, now can you?" a deep voice said as footsteps entered the room. "Bernie told me how you screwed it up..."

Intense fear filling his heart, Ryan reached for the nurse's call button, but a rough hand grabbed his arm, "I have a gun, Wolfie, don't even try it," the voice hissed. "You've failed for the last time."

As Ryan felt the barrel of the gun being pressed against the side of his head, he heard more footsteps and lights suddenly flashed on, "MIAMI PD, FREEZE!" he heard someone shout.

There was a click and as shots were fired, Ryan closed his eyes, expecting to die.

Instead, he heard someone fall to the floor, more footsteps, and he felt himself going numb.

"He's going into shock!" Ryan heard someone yell. "Frank, get this scum out!"

For a moment, Ryan couldn't hear or feel anything, "Mr. Wolfe, can you hear me?" he suddenly heard a familiar voice say as he felt another blanket being placed over his body.

Ryan opened his eyes and saw Horatio standing at his bedside, "Are you all right?" Horatio asked, concerned at the look of terror in Ryan's eyes. "Why was someone in your room with a gun?"

Knowing that Bernie was out still there and could have him killed if he squealed, Ryan continued to feign terror, "I don't know," he whispered in a fearful voice. "I don't feel well..."

"All right, Lieutenant Caine, you're going to have to leave so that Mr. Wolfe can get some rest," Ryan heard a nurse say. "If you want to talk to him, you can come back tomorrow."

Even though he suspected that Ryan knew more than he was telling, Horatio nodded and moved into the hallway. He could see Eric moving towards him as officers carried the dead man away.

"I thought you were looking after Miss Mannis," Horatio stated as Eric came up to him.

Eric shrugged, "The docs wanted to check her out, but she wouldn't let anyone touch her," he replied with a frown. "She said that she had a lot of work to do in her office."

"...Shh, Mr. Wolfe, just relax and go to sleep," Eric suddenly heard a nurse say. "You're safe now."

Hearing Ryan's soft protests coming from the room, Eric frowned, "What's Ryan doing in the hospital?" he asked, a concerned tone in his voice. "Was there an accident or something?"

"It appears that Mr. Wolfe was leaving the club when he was attacked on the beach," Horatio explained in a tense tone. "He was most likely a witness to what happened and fled...A guy broke into his room with a gun just as I was coming to question him."

Eric sighed, "Do you think what happened at the club and at Emily's apartment are related somehow?" he asked, suddenly concerned for Speed, who was also there. "Did you want me to go check on Speed and his parents to make sure nothing happened to them?"

"No, I want you to stay here and guard Mr. Wolfe's room," Horatio replied. "Just in case someone else comes to try and silence him...I'll check on Speed and then go find Miss Mannis."

Eric nodded and placed a hand on his gun. Horatio turned and walked off down the hallway.

* * *

Back at Miami PD, Stetler put on a pair of latex gloves and took the cell phone out of the evidence bag that he had taken from the club. He opened it and looked through the list of callers.

From what he had gathered through some phone investigating, Emily Mannis had been at the hospital in the morning and then she had suddenly left. The next place anyone saw her was tending the bar at the Vision nightclub not long before the fight broke out.

Even though he was not a CSI, Stetler knew that there was a time gap that could possibly tie Emily to the murder that had occurred at her apartment. The woman may not have pulled the trigger, but she could have arranged for the hit to go down and have her kids hidden somewhere.

Two numbers labeled "Big Dog" and "Sola" that had timestamps concurrent with the time gap suddenly caught Stetler's eye. Maybe the numbers could explain the woman's location

Frowning, Stetler clicked his mouse and, pulling the police database up on the screen, he typed the first number in and pressed "Search."

Within seconds, the face of a well known drug dealer who specialized in dealing marijuana and other recreational drugs appeared on the screen with a current address and personal information.

Swearing under his breath, Stetler grabbed the phone and dialed a number, "...This is Stetler, I need you to search the hospital and bring Emily Mannis in for questioning," he said in a stern tone, indicating that he meant business. "She may be a suspect in the murder investigation..."

Hanging up the phone, Stetler saved the data and typed Emily's name into the computer.

A smirk crossed his face as information and a past picture of Emily appeared on the screen.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Stetler closed that window and began working on a warrant.

* * *

Letting out a deep sigh, Emily whirled her chair around and gazed up at the wall where her framed degree and photos of her kids hung below a medium-sized bookshelf that contained many books.

After running away from Eric, she had retreated into her office and gotten a pair of jeans and a large t-shirt out of a closet that she kept emergency supplies in. She had changed into the dry clothes and the wet ones were on the floor on the other side of her desk with her wallet.

As she stared up at the pictures, tears streamed steadily down her face and chills ran down her arms at the horror of the evening. The only safe place to her was this office, it allowed her to rest.

Of course, with her children missing and her friend dead, there was truly no rest for the weary.

There was a knock at the door, but Emily didn't turn or speak. She had no energy left.

The door opened and, letting out a sigh, Emily turned around just in time to see Horatio enter the office, "Lieutenant Caine, what can I do for you?" she asked, her voice tired.

"Eric tells me that you didn't want the doctors doing an exam on you," Horatio said as he moved over to a chair on the other side of the desk and sat down. "Do you mind telling me why?"

Emily shrugged, "I don't like doctors," she stated in a toneless voice, avoiding Horatio's gaze.

Without warning, Emily crossed her arms and shivered, "Looks to me like you could use a doctor," Horatio stated. "Your skin looks awfully white...a sign of hypothermia and shock."

Before Emily could reply, a uniformed officer stepped into the room, "Excuse me, Emily Mannis?" the officer said as he walked over to the desk. "I've been ordered to escort you down to Miami PD for questioning in relation to the murder that took place at your apartment tonight."

Emily's jaw dropped in shock, "Are you kidding me?" she asked in a snappish tone. "My best friend was killed, my children are missing, and you think I had something to do with it?"

Horatio rose from his seat and turned to face the officer, "Excuse me, I'm Lieutenant Caine and I'd like to know who ordered that Miss Mannis be taken down to the PD," he requested in an icy tone.

"Rick Stetler did, sir," the officer replied. "He wants her cuffed and brought down immediately."

Turning a shade paler, Emily rose and moved over to Horatio, "Tell you what, officer, I can take her down to the PD myself," Horatio stated. "I just need your handcuffs, please and thank you."

"You can come, but I have to drive her there, Stetler's orders," the officer replied as he took a pair of handcuffs off his belt and placed them around Emily's wrists.

Emily looked at the officer, "My wallet's on the floor, can I have it?" she asked in a quivering voice.

Grabbing a pair of latex gloves out of his jacket pocket, Horatio put them on and grabbed the wallet off the floor, "I'll hang on to it and send someone up here to process these wet clothes," he assured Emily before looking at the officer. "Can we go through the ER?"

The officer nodded and reached for Emily's arm, but Horatio stopped him, "I can escort her if you'll just lead the way," he instructed in a tone that dared the officer to argue. "Come on, Emily."

Horror washing over her entire body, Emily allowed herself to be led from the office.

* * *

As the nurse left the room to let a now calm Ryan sleep, Eric was staring at his shoes.

Even though he was tired, Eric knew that he had to stay awake and alert in case something happened concerning Ryan or the two scenes currently under investigation.

Letting out a yawn, Eric looked up and frowned at an officer coming down the hall with Horatio, who was leading Emily down the hallway, as her hands were handcuffed in front of her.

"What's going on, H?" Eric asked as they came over to him. "Why is Emily handcuffed?"

Horatio sighed, "Stetler," he said in a monotone voice. "He wants her questioned at PD."

Emily gazed into the hospital room at the soundly sleeping Ryan, "Eric, please keep Ryan safe at all costs," she said in a soft tone. "Don't tell him about ANY of this, do you understand me?"

"Miss Mannis, you know Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio asked, curious as to Emily's sudden concern for Ryan, as it seemed very unusual. "If I may ask, how do you know him?"

Blinking, Emily looked straight ahead, "If you want to take me to Miami PD, Lieutenant Caine, I suggest you do it before anything else happens," she said, her voice quivering with fear.

"Emily, is there something I should know?" Horatio again asked, wondering if Emily's little spiel about Ryan was a result of hypothermic-induced delusions. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Letting out a sigh, Emily remained silent, "All right, Miss Mannis, off we go," Horatio said, gently taking Emily by the arm and leading her off down the hallway after the uniformed officer.

Watching them go, Eric pulled a cell-phone off his belt and dialed a number, "..Calleigh, it's Eric," he said, bringing the phone up to his ear. "...What do you mean the bag containing Emily's cell phone was stolen from the club? Do you have any idea who might have taken it?"

As he listened to Calleigh's explanation about the missing evidence, Eric turned and gazed into Ryan's room, watching the young CSI as he slept.

* * *

Rosa Speedle lingered outside of the Miami PD, as if waiting for someone to arrive in a car.

She had left Tim at the hospital under the close watch of her husband and, like a dutiful social worker, she had come to be of assistance to a juvenile child turned responsible adult.

A squad car suddenly pulled into a parking spot. Rosa watched as a uniformed officer got out, walked around to the passenger door, and opened it. She frowned as a blonde haired woman dressed in jeans, a large t-shirt, and sneakers stepped out of the car wearing handcuffs.

"Mrs. Speedle," Emily said, surprised to see the social worker there who had counseled her away from a permanent stint in juvenile detention years ago with a job offer. "What are you doing here?"

As Horatio got out of the car, Rosa gave her a look of concern, "You called me from your apartment," she replied in a gentle tone. "Why are you wearing handcuffs again?"

Recognizing the woman as Speed's mother from a picture that Speed had once shown him, Horatio cleared his throat, "Mrs. Speedle, can I ask what you're doing here?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips. "I thought you would be at the hospital with Speed and your husband."

"I'm a social worker, Lieutenant Caine, I provide support to those who ask for it," Rosa replied, giving Emily a reassuring look. "Now, can you tell me what is going on?"

Horatio shook his head, "I can't tell you what's going on until I talk to Stetler," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "You are welcome to come with Miss Mannis, however, if you have the time."

Rosa nodded and as the officer led Horatio and Emily up the stairs, she quickly followed.

* * *

Hearing footsteps coming down the hallway, Stetler looked up from his laptop just in time to see Horatio lead Emily into his office, "Horatio, I sent a patrol cop to get her," he snapped.

"Well, I was at the hospital anyway and the patrol officer did drive us here," Horatio replied, gently helping Emily sit in one of the empty visitor's chairs. "She's even handcuffed like you requested."

Stetler was silent for a moment and gave Emily a glance, "I must say, Miss Mannis, the picture and information that's already in the computer doesn't exactly match what I'm looking at now," he commented, crossing his arms as a female uniformed officer entered the room. "Officer, take Miss Mannis to a holding cell while Lieutenant Caine and I have a discussion."

Frightened, Emily looked at Horatio, "Go with the officer, Emily, everything will be all right," Horatio said in a soothing tone. "I'll come and talk to you after I'm done talking with Stetler."

As Emily was led from the room, Horatio saw Rosa follow after them out of the corner of his eye.

"Horatio, your little girlfriend isn't who she appears to be," Stetler stated in an icy tone. "I have evidence that proves that Emily Mannis might have been involved in tonight's murder."


	7. By Darkness of Night, Innocents Fight

As night passed into early morning, Ryan woke with a start and grabbed his cell-phone off the portable table that was next to his hospital bed. He flipped it open and dialed a number.

Ryan held the phone to his ear and it rang six times. Frowning, he closed the phone and placed it on the bedside table. Something was wrong, he knew it, and he had to leave the hospital now.

Quietly stepping off the bed, Ryan tore the IVs from his arm and searched the room for something that he could put over his hospital gown. He found a blue housecoat in the closet and quickly put it on. His head and chest hurt, but getting out of the hospital was more important than his own pain.

"Wolfe, where do you think you're going?" Eric, who had heard noise from inside the hospital room and peeked in only to see Ryan trying to leave. "You're supposed to stay here overnight."

Filled with panic, Ryan shoved Eric aside and bolted down the hallway, well aware that Eric was chasing after him. All that mattered to him, however, was getting out of that hospital.

He could hear shouting as nurses noticed him and gave chase, but Ryan kept running. He ran outside into the cool night air and frantically looked for a taxi in which to make his escape.

"You make one move and I'll shoot," a dark voice said as Ryan suddenly heard the click of a gun.

Eric walked outside just in time to see a figure, one's whose face was completely shadowed by the darkness, place a gun to Ryan's head, "Get down on the ground," he heard the man say.

Drawing his weapon, Eric moved forward just in time to see Ryan laying himself on the ground with his face touching the pavement, "MIAMI PD, DROP THE WEAPON!" Eric shouted.

"Eric, GO AWAY!" Ryan yelled in a semi-hysterical voice. "This isn't about you..."

The figure cackled, "Yes, go away and let Wolfie here meet the same fate as Bernie's two little brats," he hissed maliciously. "Goodness knows where Bernie's taken them by now..."

Eric raised his gun, "I'm giving you one more chance to drop the weapon," he said sharply.

"Well, dang, Wolfie, you got the PD looking out for you," the figure guffawed. "Too bad."

There was another click and suddenly shots were fired, causing Ryan to scream.

"Wolfe, are you injured at all?" Eric asked, as he could hear Ryan whimpering.

Shaking, Ryan got to his feet, "I-I have to get to Miami PD," he stuttered, his voice shaking.

Suddenly, the body of the unknown figure fell, dropping his gun to the sidewalk, "Eric, get me a cab, I have to get over there," Ryan repeated in an unsteady voice as he moved into the light.

Eric's eyes widened at the sight of Ryan's gown and housecoat covered in blood, "Ryan, you're covered in blood!" he said in an anxious voice. "You need to go back inside the hospital!"

"It's not mine," Ryan stated in a weak voice. "I-I need to go down to the PD right now."

Ryan made to move away, but Eric grabbed his wrist and felt a sticky substance, "You're bleeding, are you are of that?" he snapped, keeping a grip on Ryan's wrist as he tried to pull away.

"I pulled my IVs out, I need to get a cab," Ryan said in an anxious tone. "Let go of my wrist."

Ryan jerked his wrist from Eric's grip, "Just go away," he restated in a pained voice.

Eric pulled him back and, gripping his shoulder, he escorted Ryan back over to where three nurses were standing, "Look, go back to your room, get some more rest, and I'll take you to the PD in the morning," he said, gently nudging Ryan towards the nurses. "I'll go with you, all right?"

Too horrified to say anything, Ryan was numb as Eric and the nurses led him back inside the hospital, back to his quiet room. As the nurses helped Ryan back into bed, Eric saw that the cell-phone on the portable table was vibrating. Ryan looked at the phone fearfully.

"Don't answer it," Ryan said, giving Eric a scared look as the nurses covered him up and cleaned the blood from his arm. "Just leave it alone, Eric, it's probably nothing important."

"Officer Delko, can you please wait outside while we calm Mr. Wolfe down?" one of the nurses asked. "Take Mr. Wolfe's phone with you, please, as it will interfere with the equipment."

As Eric picked up the cell-phone and moved towards the door, a doctor entered the room pulling a monitor with one hand while he carried a syringe in the other, "All right, Mr. Wolfe, I'm gonna give you a little something to help you sleep while we have you on a monitor and more IVs."

"Please, I have to help my sister," Ryan whimpered, flinching as the doctor tied a strip around his arm and injected him with the syringe. "Stetler's a jerk…He'll hurt her…cause of the past."

Frowning, Eric watched the nurses remove Ryan's bloodstained housecoat and gown, "Can you put those into bags so I can take them to the lab?" Eric asked. "I'll come back…."

"Don't look at my cell phone," Ryan slurred as he fell asleep in a nurse's arms. "You can't.."

Moving out into the hallway, Eric gazed down at Ryan's phone and saw that Ryan had received a text message, not a phone call. He opened it and quickly accessed the message.

Ryan,

Don't you DARE call this number again. She's already got stuff in her past that makes her a likely suspect and the evidence will just confirm that she's guilty. I got this off of one of the CSI's at Vision and it has pretty much condemned her. You had better stay out of this and stick to your CSI duties unless you want your own scarred past to be brought to light.

Horatio's trying to get her out of this mess, but it's not going to work.

Keep your nose clean, kid, remember what happened last time you didn't?

Rick

Closing the phone, Eric thought for a moment and then moved down the hallway towards the elevators. He had an idea as to who Ryan was referring to, but he needed access to that office.

* * *

Having just finished a shouting match with Stetler over the information on Emily that was already in the computer, Horatio walked down to the lockup area and saw Rosa lingering outside the door, near where a uniformed officer was standing with his arms crossed.

"Lieutenant Caine, the guard won't let me in," Rosa said in a concerned voice as she saw Horatio approach. "I'm very worried about her…I know that Emily would not do this."

Horatio nodded, "I believe she wouldn't either, but Stetler wants to keep her here indefinitely because of some information that was already in the computer," he stated.

"Oh dear, I was hoping that nobody would ever find out about that," Rosa replied in a worried tone.

Horatio sighed, "Rick's always been a pain," he replied tonelessly. "Anyway, I came to talk to Emily about her whereabouts between being at the hospital and at the club."

"Is it possible that I can come with you?" Rosa asked. "I am very concerned for her."

Shaking his head, Horatio gave Rosa a gentle look, "It's best if you went back to the hospital and spent time with Speed and your husband for now. If anything comes up, I'll get in touch with you, all right?"

"Lieutenant, I knew that girl when she was a lot younger," Rosa stated as she moved away. "I know that she wouldn't be involved in something like this, especially considering the rough childhood she had."

Rosa then moved away, leaving Horatio to think on what they had talked about.

* * *

Unable to sleep, Tim had gotten out of his hospital bed and got his housecoat on. His father was slouched in a chair near the window, sound asleep with snores coming from his mouth and nose.

Without waking his father, he used his IV pole for support as he walked slowly down the hallway towards the elevator. He wanted to get something from the cafeteria that might help him go back to sleep.

With a ding, the elevator door slid open, revealing Eric standing there, "Speed, shouldn't you be asleep in bed at this time of day?" he asked as Speed slowly entered the elevator.

"I couldn't sleep," Tim replied, keeping a firm grip on his IV pole as the door slid closed and the elevator began to move. "Besides, Eric, what are you doing at the hospital at such an odd time of day?"

Eric sighed, "Ryan Wolfe got involved in a little altercation and he tried to escape, so a doctor sedated him for the rest of the night," he explained. "H wanted me to stay and keep an eye on him."

Tim gave Eric a look, "Isn't Wolfe that guy that H hired until I can come back?" he asked.

Eric was silent, so Speed changed the subject, "I'm going to sneak up to the cafeteria for some food, wanna come?" Tim asked, his tone eager. "Even if it's early, I could use the company."

"I have to stop by a counselor's office first," Eric replied. "Do you know Emily Mannis, by any chance?"

Recognizing the name as the one who counseled him the previous morning, Tim nodded just as there was a ding and the elevator door slid open, "Yeah, she's a trauma counselor here," he replied. "Why?"

The two walked out of the elevator and Eric immediately saw an empty wheelchair against a wall, "Have a seat and I'll tell you," he stated, ignoring the irritated look on Tim's face as he sat down.

"I'm getting so tired of being treated like glass," Tim complained as Eric wheeled him down the hallway.

Eric smiled, but before he could reply, they came to a door with a nameplate that read Emily Mannis: Trauma Counselor, "I wonder if the door's unlocked," he said, reaching for the handle.

"Put some gloves on first," Tim quickly said. "Just in case there's any sort of evidence in there."

Realizing that Tim was right, Eric got two pairs of gloves out of his pocket and tossed a pair into Tim's lap, "Put those on so you don't get into trouble," he said, smiling. "I'm gonna need some help in there."

Tim and Eric put on the gloves and Eric easily opened the door. Not wanting to disrupt evidence, Eric flipped on the lights and wheeled Tim into the office. There was a momentary silence.

"Looks pretty untouched," Eric commented as he moved further into the room.

While Eric gazed at the couch, chairs, and desk, Tim remained in the wheelchair, trying to find anything with his eyes that seemed unusual, "Hey, Eric, there's a closet in this office," he suddenly commented, spotting a door that was slightly ajar on the other side of the bookshelf Eric was looking at.

"Better not go in there, as evidence could be in that closet," Eric replied, suddenly noticing a row of photos and a framed degree above the bookshelf, one of which was a younger Emily and Ryan standing at some sort of outdoor location: Ryan was dressed in a suit and Emily was wearing a cap and gown. Both were smiling and there was a small notebook shaped item in Emily's right hand. Another one, besides one of Emily's children together, was one of Emily and Ryan together with both the children.

Eric frowned, "Why would Emily and Ryan be in a picture together with each other and with her kids?" he asked. "Do they know each other?"

Tim shrugged and with a great effort, he got up from the wheelchair and used the pole to help him walk over to where Eric was standing and gazed at the framed degree, suddenly frowning, "Eric, check out the name that's on this diploma," he said, gazing at Eric. "Why does she go by a different last name?"

His eyes widening at the name on the degree, Eric grabbed his cell-phone off his belt and quickly stored Ryan's in his pocket, "I'm calling H," he said, quickly dialing a familiar number.

Nodding, Tim silently gazed at the photos and the degree, both intrigued and alarmed by this mystery.

* * *

Taking a deep, tired breath, Emily laid back on the skimpy bed that was in her cell and stared up at the ceiling in silence. Her jeans and t-shirt were gone and replaced by an oversized orange jumpsuit and a pair of skimpy slippers, as her shoes had been taken to the Crime Lab.

Despite Horatio's protests, Stetler had booked her, ordered her processed, and locked in a solitary cell within the confines of the Miami-Dade PD lockup. There were no charges yet, as the evidence was still being gathered, but Stetler wanted to charge her with Murder One and association with a drug dealer.

The children were still missing and dogs had been called in to try and locate them.

Shivering, Emily turned to face the wall so she could cry privately. Even though the charges she was facing were very serious and could lead to prison time, Emily knew that she had to protect others from that fate.

From what she knew, Ryan was safe at the hospital, which brought her a slight comfort.

The reality was that she would probably never see her beautiful babies again and it broke her heart.

Suddenly, the door to her cell was unlocked and opened. Letting out a sigh, Emily turned and saw Horatio standing there in the open doorway, next to a uniformed guard. He had an intrigued look on his face.

"Is there anything you want to tell me, Miss Wolfe?" Horatio asked, gazing at Emily intensely.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Eric closed the door to Emily's darkened office and watched Tim's mother walked alongside a nurse who was pushing Tim back towards the elevators.

Almost immediately after Eric had phoned Horatio with Emily's real surname, he and Tim had been found in Emily's office by Mrs. Speedle and a nurse. Both were worried about Tim's escape from his room.

After a short lecture, Mrs. Speedle had convinced Tim to allow a nurse to wheel him back to his room and put him back to bed for more rest. Tim had readily agreed, as the whole office break-in had tired him.

While Tim was escorted back to his room, Eric had turned off the lights and locked the office. He put in a quick call to Tripp and explained the possible connection between Emily and Ryan, emphasizing the importance of a possible office search and a deeper investigation into the growing pile of revelations. Every detail was especially important, as innocence was on the line_  
_


	8. Corruptive Measures

The noon sun streamed through the window into the cell as Emily watched the door being opened and Ryan enter, "As soon as I got here, Lieutenant Caine hauled me into his office for a chat and then Eric Delko wouldn't quit following me around," Ryan said in an apologetic tone. "Anyway, if you're here, who's watching James and Julliet?"

Emily turned a shade whiter than she already was, "Ryan, when Jessi was killed last night, whoever did it kidnapped James and Juliet," she said in a quivering whisper.

Frowning, Ryan moved over to the bed and sat down next to Emily, "Do you think Bernard did it?" he asked, gently putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "Did you tell Stetler?"

"Honestly, Ryan, you know Stetler only cares about seeing me behind bars," Emily said in a tired voice. "What I did you protect you from Dad's wrath all those years ago will always haunt me."

Ryan was silent for a moment, "I still feel so guilty about that," he admitted, a quiver in his normally steady voice. "I got to live with Uncle Ron in Boston while you were sent to live in some juvenile facility in New York...I was able make us even, though, saving you from your marriage."

Emily nodded, "Yeah and how long have Bernard and his guys been following you for since then?" she asked, concern in her voice. "Ryan, you need to be careful, you really do."

Suddenly, a guard poked his head into the room, "All right, Officer Wolfe, you have to go," he said in a firm tone. "Miss Wolfe, your attorney is waiting upstairs in Interview Room Three."

"Attorney?" Ryan said in a concerned tone as Emily pulled away. "How serious is this?"

Letting out a sigh, Emily patted Ryan's shoulder, "I don't want you to worry about me, Ryan," she replied in a trembling voice. "Keep yourself out of trouble and listen to what Horatio says, okay?"

Emily stood up and walked with Ryan over to the cell door, where the guard cuffed her.

Swallowing hard, Ryan moved out of the cell and silently walked down the dreary hallway alone.

A few moments later, as the guard led Emily from her cell, a figure watched from the shadows.

* * *

For the next two weeks, the CSI's had their hands full trying to determine Jessi's killer, finding Emily's children, and proving Emily's innocence so that she could be released from jail.

Unfortunately, most of the evidence, except for clothes, blood, and Jessi's body, had gone missing from both the club and Emily's apartment. There had only been one bullet hole on Jessi's body, right in her chest, and Alexx couldn't find any other cause of death.

Eric and Tripp had searched Emily's office and the wet clothes on the floor had revealed nothing of importance. The closet had only contained boxes of personal stuff and spare clothes.

Consequently, upon hearing that the police were searching an office and that Emily Mannis had been arrested pending murder charges, the hospital had promptly fired her by informing her next of kin about it. Ryan had tried to convince the hospital that Emily was innocent, but to no avail.

When he wasn't busy working in the lab, Ryan would spend time down in the cellblock visiting Emily and they would talk about the past during the five minutes of time they were allowed each day. Although Emily wasn't allowed possessions, the visits from Ryan were a great comfort.

Every few days, Horatio would arrange meetings with Emily and her attorney, Kenwall Duquesne, so that they could talk about how things were progressing. The news was often that although police were diligently searching for leads, nothing had been found to prove her innocence.

Worried for any long-term effects that might come forth from prolonged jail time, Horatio had tried multiple times to get Emily released to house arrest, but Stetler refused to cut her loose. He had declared her a flight risk and a psych risk, yet he would never explain his reasoning.

Unknown to Horatio and the other CSI's, Stetler would often sneak down to the cellblock in the middle of the night and watch Emily as she slept. He had always waited until the shift change, as the guards would be gone for about five minutes and he always carried a camera. Of course, he was doing this on orders from an outside source, so the pictures never stayed with him.

Additionally, Stetler knew that Bernard had arranged for someone to keep track of Ryan's movements, as Ryan was a threat to plans that were due to be set in motion. If Ryan made one false move, Stetler knew that the young CSI would be summarily dealt with.

Through subtle eavesdropping, Stetler also knew that Tim Speedle had been released from the hospital and now was recovering under the watchful eyes of his parents in their home. However, Speedle was not a threat to the plans being set in motion, so he was safe…for the moment.

Calleigh Duquesne was too concerned with lab work to be considered a legitimate threat to Stetler or Bernard for the time being. However, Bernard seemed to have a 'thing' for blonde beauties, so he had ordered Stetler to keep an eye on her, as 'inside' eyes would be better at spying.

Since four of his top associates had already been killed because of their failures to carry out their parts of his ultimate plan, Bernard had relied more heavily on Stetler for help. Without the help of a corrupt MDPD cop, Bernard would not have even come to Miami seeking revenge.

* * *

Deep within the bowels of Miami's underworld, Stetler moved into an office where a chair sat behind a desk, facing a wall. He carried a plastic bag containing a cell-phone in one hand.

"Did you bring it?" a gravelly voice asked.

Stetler nodded, "I brought it and nobody was the wiser about it missing from the club," he replied, placing the bag on the desk. "I've been keeping it in my desk for the last two weeks. I've been sneaking around, taking other vital pieces of evidence and it's all hidden in my house."

The chair turned, revealing a tall, well-built man with gray eyes and blood red hair, who was dressed in a fine suit, seated at the desk, "Is my dearest Emily still rotting in that cell?" the man asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm guessing her dear brother is also lingering nearby."

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this charade up, Bernard," Stetler replied, worry in his voice. "They'll find your prints on something...Horatio's got Wolfe working on the case with the other CSI's and I can tell you that Wolfe is desperate to help his sister out of trouble."

Bernard laughed and grabbed the bag, "Well, maybe we should help Mr. Wolfe out by taking away some of his worries," he stated. "My ex-wife used to say that she would always trade her life for those she cared about...Rick, can you gain access to Emily's cell while she's alone again?"

"I can, but not for very long," Stetler replied, uneasy about what Bernard was planning. "Why?"

Bernard guffawed, "Ricky, Ricky, Ricky," he crooned, tapping his fingers on the desk. "You're the one who told me that Emily was hiding out in Miami under her brother's watch. You should not worry about the details so much...just know that you'll know when it's your turn to play."

Extremely uneasy, Stetler nodded and rose from his chair, "When the time comes, phone me on my cell phone," he stated. "I'll make an excuse to slip away from the PD for a little while."

Nodding, Bernard watched Stetler go and then turned in his chair. He stared down at the two infants who were laying in a playpen, both with pale faces, messy hair, and battered bodies that were covered with ragged sleepers, one blue and one pink, but they were both still alive.

"Oh, my little ones, which one of you wants to be the sacrificial lamb?" Bernard cooed in a cruel tone as he reached down and fingered the sleepers. "Which one of you do I want to free?"

As the infants began to wail because they didn't want to be touched by their abuser again, Bernard pulled his hand up and grinning, he began to formulate a deadly plan.

* * *

In the darkness of early morning, Ryan was woken by the sound of an infant's loud cry.

Still half-asleep, Ryan got out of bed, put a housecoat on over his sleep-pants and t-shirt, and moved through his small house to the front door. He opened it and looked around.

Another cry sounded out, causing Ryan to look down and frown at the sight of a basket covered by a blanket that had a folded note pinned to the top of it. He took the note and opened it.

_To the Lone Wolfe:_

_Consider this a trade: a little chick for a bird in a cage._

_Nobody will sleep soundly, for time is ticking away._

_Your life will soon be filled with a bang, so run._

_Never underestimate the harmful power of one._

_Sincerely,  
_

_Your worst nightmare_

Suddenly feeling scared, Ryan lifted the blanket and gasped when he saw his little niece, Julliet, laying in the basket dressed in a ragged sleeper with messy light hair and pale skin. At the sight of Ryan, Julliet began to cry and tried to extend her right hand upward, but her arm was at a funny angle.

"Let's get you inside, little JuJu," Ryan said in a gentle voice as he carefully lifted the basket by the handle and carried his niece inside the house, closing the door behind him.

Gently setting the basket on the table, Ryan carefully lifted Julliet from the basket and got her out of the ragged sleeper, appalled by the amount of bruising on her little body. He then wrapped her gently in a blanket from his bed and carefully sat on the couch, holding her. She gazed up at him silently.

As they sat there in silence, Ryan suddenly heard a ticking sound coming from under the sink. Holding Julliet tight, he rose and, moving into the kitchen, he opened the doors under the sink and froze.

A bomb with a timer was strapped to the pipes. The timer had two minutes left on it and was ticking down.

Swearing under his breath, Ryan hurriedly ran into his bedroom and grabbed his wallet, passport, and cell-phone off the top of his dresser. He slipped the items into the pockets of his housecoat and on his way to the front door, he grabbed the ragged sleeper, the note, and the basket for evidence, balancing the items in one arm as he held to Julliet with the other. At the front door, he quickly stepped into his sneakers and left.

The night was cold, but Ryan ignored it and quickly carried Julliet and the evidence down the street.

Just as Ryan reached the corner, there was a loud explosion and he turned just in time to see his house explode and a fire break out. Horrified, Ryan dropped the evidence and held Julliet close as he fled.

* * *

Hours later, as the hot Miami sun bore down on the crowd that was gathered outside the crime scene tape surrounding the remains of Ryan's house, a Humvee came to a stop just down the street. Cop cars and police officers were everywhere else either trying to control the crowd or help with the scene.

Just on the other side of the crime tape, Tripp turned to see Horatio walking towards him in a dark suit and sunglasses, "What happened?" Horatio asked, placing his hands on his hips.

Tripp sighed and held the note out to Horatio with a hand covered by a latex glove, "One of the neighbors heard the explosion and came outside just in time to see a guy in pajamas run off with a baby in his arms," he explained with a frown. "This was found at the corner, along with a basket and tattered sleeper."

Frowning, Horatio removed his sunglasses and quickly skimmed the note, "Has anyone seen Mr. Wolfe since then?" he asked, concerned that Ryan might have gotten himself into some real trouble.

"I've got an APB out for him, but so far, nothing," Tripp replied. "Who's baby has he got, anyway?"

For a moment, Horatio was silent and gazing at the remains of the house, he saw Eric collecting and bagging evidence and then a sudden thought came to him. He reread the note more carefully.

"Frank, who's patrolling lockup right now?" Horatio asked, as the words _..a bird in a cage_ caught his eye.

Frank gave Horatio a strange look as he checked his watch, "It's about time for shift change, why?" he asked, seeing that there was something on Horatio's mind. "We only have one prisoner down there and it's not like she's going to try escaping…"

"She's a bird in a cage, Frank," Horatio stated, his voice full of concern. "Call the PD…now."

* * *

The door being unlocked and opened caused Emily to look up and immediately wince in disgust, as Stetler was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face, "Enjoying jail?" he asked, moving into the cell.

"What do you want, Stetler?" Emily asked as Stetler walked over and sat down on the bed next to her.

Stetler gave her a look, "I came to offer you a deal," he said in a stern tone. "I'll release you from jail if you do exactly as I say without question…I can make everything in your past and this current thing disappear."

"You're drunk," Emily replied in a disgusted tone, sliding away from him. "Leave me alone."

Shaking his head, Stetler grabbed Emily's arm and forced her to her feet, "You're a very attractive woman, Miss Wolfe, you could use that to your advantage here," he crooned, pulling her close.

Infuriated, Emily slapped Stetler and pulled away, "Ah, now that wasn't very nice now, was it?" Stetler said, looking towards the open cell door. "I'm afraid you're going to have to be punished for that."

There were footsteps and masked men carrying guns suddenly entered the cell. Stetler advanced on Emily and, grabbing her arm, he threw her in the direction of the gunmen and looked at them in anticipation. The fun was about to begin.

* * *

Filled with relief at being finally cleared for duty, Tim walked into the locker room and over to his locker. His parents had suggested that he take more time, but Tim just wanted to come back.

As he opened it, hung his jacket on the hook and shut the door again, Tim heard some faint whimpering and soft talking that sounded like it was coming from the other side of the lockers.

Frowning, Tim pulled his badge out and moved around to the other side of the locker, only to see a man in a bathrobe, pajamas, and sneakers sitting on the bench, holding something wrapped in a large blanket.

"Excuse me, I'm a CSI with the Miami-Dade PD," Tim said, holding out the badge. "This locker room is for PD staff only.?"

There was silence for a moment and then the man turned, revealing a very pale and disheveled Ryan Wolfe sitting there, holding what appeared to be a pale, blonde-haired baby in his arms wrapped in a comforter. Tim frowned, but continued holding out the badge.

"I'm Ryan Wolfe, CSI and former patrol cop with the Miami-Dade PD," Ryan replied in a tired, shaky voice as he gazed up at Speed and back down at Julliet, who was wide awake, but very quiet. "This is my niece, Julliet Wolfe."


	9. Terror Running Wild

Burdened by a continued uneasiness about the note, Horatio found himself back in his Hummer, speeding back towards the Miami-Dade PD as fast as traffic laws would allow.

The note was in an evidence bag on his dashboard while the rest of the evidence remained back at the scene in the care of Tripp and Eric. Uniformed officers were also still on scene, trying to get information.

As he stopped at a red light, Horatio silently prayed that he would reach the PD in time.

* * *

In the locker room, Ryan remained seated on the bench with Julliet in his arms, "I know I should have taken her to a hospital, but I-" he said, nervous about Tim standing there in absolute silence.

"Wait, you said her name was Julliet Wolfe?" Tim asked, slipping his badge back into his pocket. "She looks a lot like a picture I saw in Emily's office at the hospital…"

Ryan frowned, "What were you doing in my sister's office?" he snapped in a frantic whisper.

"After Emily was arrested, Delko and I went in there to see if we could find any evidence," Tim replied, frowning at the panic in Ryan's voice. "How come you didn't say she was your sister before now?"

Before Ryan could reply, loud alarms sounded, "Attention, there is an incident in progress in the cell block area and the PD is going on lockdown," a voice sounded out over the intercom. "All on duty personnel are required to report to their respective departments for debriefings…This is not a drill…"

At the alarms, Julliet suddenly began to wail, "The cell block?" Ryan gasped as he began to gently rock Julliet in an attempt to calm her. "That's where Emily is being held…What if she's in trouble?"

"The best thing you and I can do right now is go up to the Crime Lab," Tim stated, knowing that he needed to take control of this situation. "If you go running down to the holding cells, you or Julliet could get hurt."

Ryan was silent for a moment as Julliet suddenly quieted down again, "This isn't the safest spot for us to be in, Ryan," Tim stated in a firmer tone. "I'll help you if you let me…Think of your niece."

Knowing that he had to do what was best for Julliet now, Ryan carefully stood up and held Julliet close as he followed Tim from the locker room at a quick pace.

* * *

Down in the cell block, Emily lay unconscious on the floor with a bullet hole in the shoulder of her jail clothes while Stetler guarded the door, watching as one of the gunmen approached the fallen prisoner with a tight black dress in hand. The other two gunmen were outside the cell, shooting at the guards already there.

Blood was all over the floor and all over Emily, as she had passed out from shock not long after being shot.

"Attention, there is an incident in progress in the cell block area and the PD is going on lockdown," a voice sounded out over the intercom as the alarm continued blaring. "All on duty personnel are required to report to their respective departments for information….this is NOT a drill!"

"Do you really have to undress her here?" Stetler asked, anxious to be out of there before more cops arrived, especially before Horatio arrived and broke up their party. "Just grab her and let's GO!"

One of the gunmen quickly removed Emily's shoes and uniform, "Bernie wants her as her natural self," he replied as he quickly slipped her bra and underwear off and put the dress over her body.

"You didn't HAVE to shoot her though!" Stetler snapped in a semi-hysterical voice. "I could have-"

While one of the gunmen pulled the unconscious Emily over his shoulder, the other one moved over to Stetler with his weapon drawn, "Yeah, Ricky, like you have power over a woman," the masked man stated

"Put that thing away!" Stetler yelled, hearing footsteps from a distance. "Bernie's waiting for us!"

The gunman cackled, "Bernie's waiting for her and us," he replied icily. "He's not waiting for you."

"You shot her in the shoulder, man," Stetler snapped. "She's gonna need surgery and treatment."

Without warning, the gunman shot Stetler in the stomach, "Don't worry, Ricky, Bernie's got it covered and we have a doc waiting," he hissed as Stetler sank to the ground. "Your time is up…let's go."

As Stetler lay there trying to stay conscious, the two gunmen ran from the cell with the unconscious and bleeding Emily in their custody. They disappeared through a door that Stetler had left propped open.

Hearing footsteps approach, Stetler let out a pained scream and vowed to have his revenge.

* * *

Pacing the floor as the alarms continued, Calleigh gazed at the other CSI staff who were heading towards the lounge in response to the sudden lockdown. She, like many others, had no idea what was going on.

Horatio had called her just after the alarms had started and said that the situation was under control, but the lockdown wasn't being lifted until the premises was secure. Until then, she was to keep everyone calm.

As people began filing into the staff room and the noise level grew, Calliegh sighed and moved out into the hallway to make sure that nobody was lagging behind. The alarms were really starting to get to her ears.

Suddenly, she saw the elevator door slide open and Tim come on to the floor with a very disheveled looking Ryan, who was dressed in pajamas, sneakers, and a housecoat and had a swaddled baby in his arms.

"Detective Tripp has an APB out for you," Calleigh commented, walking over to where the men stood.

Not wanting to answer any questions about his whereabouts, Ryan silently gazed down at Julliet.

"Calleigh, I'm going to take Ryan into one of the interview rooms and talk to him," Tim stated, purposefully stepping in front of Ryan so he could avoid scrutiny. "Let Horatio know where we are when he arrives."

Ryan suddenly looked nervous as he gazed at Julliet, "Julliet needs some food," he said in a nervous voice, gazing at Calleigh. "Is there any food in the staff lounge that she might be able to eat?"

"I'll check and bring it to you," Calleigh stated in a gentler tone. "Are you okay?"

Without speaking, Ryan gently kissed Julliet on the forehead and moved off down the hallway towards the interview area, "Did I say something wrong, Tim?" Calleigh asked, frowning.

"No, I think that Ryan's been through a lot today already," Tim replied. "As I was leaving for work this morning, I heard on the radio that a house exploded….H phoned me not long after and told me it was Ryan's."

As Calleigh's jaw dropped in shock, Tim turned and walked the same way that Ryan was heading.

* * *

Down in the cell block, Horatio watched as paramedics loaded Stetler on to a gurney and rolled him out of the cell. He then looked inside Emily's cell and saw a blood-stained prison uniform, a bra, underwear, and shoes on the floor of the cell next to a pile of blood. Suddenly, he heard footsteps.

"What happened to Stetler?" Horatio heard Eric ask from outside the cell.

Horatio moved out of the cell and saw Eric, who had a CSI kit in his hand, watching paramedics roll Stetler away, "From what I gather, he was in the cell talking with Miss Wolfe when armed gunmen came, shot her, stripped, and abducted her," he replied. "Rick said that when he tried to stop it, they shot him."

"Any idea who might have taken Emily and why?" Eric asked, his voice full of concern.

Horatio shook his head, "Is Speed here yet?" he asked. "I need him down here to process the scene."

Before Eric could reply, Horatio's cell-phone began vibrating, "This is Horatio," Horatio said as he pulled the cell-phone off his belt and opened it to his ear. "Calleigh, what's wrong?"

"…Okay, I want you to come down to lockup and help Eric process the crime scene," Horatio said into the phone, his voice firm. "Did Speed notify EMS?….All right, I'm going to come up there."

At the mention of EMS, Eric frowned and waited until Horatio had hung up to give him a concerned look.

"At the start of the lockdown, Calleigh was making sure that everyone was going to the staff lounge to wait for information and she saw Speed come off the elevator with Mr. Wolfe," Horatio explained. "Apparently, Mr. Wolfe was woken up by the sound of a baby crying. He found his injured niece in a basket on the doorstep….not long before his house exploded, according to a witness who saw him find his niece."

Eric looked shocked, but didn't say anything as Horatio reached into his pocket and pulled out the note that had been found down the street from Ryan's house, "This note was on the basket," Horatio explained, showing the note to Eric. "I think whoever took Emily exchanged Ryan's niece for her…a trade."

"I'm guessing that Speed found him somewhere on MDPD property and convinced him to come up to the Crime Lab?" Eric asked. "What condition is his niece in?"

Horatio shrugged and began moving away, "That is what I am going to find out," he said in a firm tone.

* * *

Upstairs in one of the interview rooms, Ryan sat on the floor, carefully holding Julliet in his arms, "You don't have to stay," he said, gazing up at Tim, who was standing at the table, silently watching him.

"You might be more comfortable sitting in a chair," Tim replied, wondering why Ryan would choose to sit on the cold floor with his niece. "Where'd you go after leaving your house, anyway?"

Ryan let out a light cough, "It took me a little while to get here on foot and with a kid in my arms," he replied in a tired voice. "Even though it was cold, I couldn't exactly go fast."

"Well, Calleigh called EMS and once the lockdown's called off, I'm sure they'll get up here quickly," Tim stated in a no-nonsense tone. "You should probably get checked out by a doctor too."

Overwhelmed by all that had happened, Ryan gave a light shrug, "I'm fine, just overwhelmed," he replied in a toneless voice. "All I care about is making sure my niece is okay…Can I take Julliet to see Emily?"

A door suddenly opened and closed, "Maybe if Emily sees that Julliet's at least alive, she'll feel better about having to be in jail even though she didn't do anything," Ryan continued, his voice shaking.

"I don't think that's going to be possible," a voice said.

Startled, Ryan looked up and was surprised to see Horatio standing in the doorway, "H, if I could just have five minutes to show Emily that at least Julliet is safe, she might feel better," he argued.

"Mr. Wolfe, there was an attack on the lockup that ended in three uniformed officers being killed and another one seriously injured," Horatio explained. "Emily was shot and taken by the gunmen."

Ryan's eyes went wide, "W-what?" he asked, his voice continuing to shake. "T-That's not possible…"

"I believe the note taped to the basket indicated something about a trade," Horatio commented.

Before Ryan could reply, his cell phone started vibrating. Horatio and Tim exchanged a glance.

Frowning, he shifted Julliet to his other arm and pulled his cell-phone from his bathrobe pocket, "This is Ryan Wolfe," he said as he opened the phone and held it to his ear. "Check my text messages? Why?"

There was a click, indicating that the caller had hung up. Horatio reached down and gently took Julliet from Ryan's arms, as he had a bad feeling that whatever Ryan was about to see would instill a sense of panic.

Not even bothering to react, Ryan opened his phone and clicked on the recently sent text message.

_Poor Little Wolfie, _

_All alone with nothing but a tight collar of fear._

_The trade is a done deal, the birds have been switched._

_Your sister is mine to do with what I wish._

_Lie awake at night and dwell on her pain_

_Happiness will never be truly yours again_

_Enjoy your little chick, I already had fun._

_Two minus one, now what does that equal?_

_Is the spawned son still part of this world?_

_Or does his little body lay in a heavy grave?_

_My fun with you has just barely begun._

_Sincerely,_

_Your worst nightmare_

Suddenly feeling his throat closing up, Ryan felt the phone slip from his hand to the floor as he began to feel very light-headed. He felt nauseous and horrified at what that monster was capable of with his evil mind. Realizing that Ryan was having an anxiety attack, Horatio moved towards the door.

"I'll go and meet EMS and bring them here," Horatio said in an urgent voice. "Speed, keep him awake."

Ryan extended a shaking hand upward, "Julliet," he croaked in a shaking voice. "Where-?"

Realizing that Ryan was worried that he'd never see Julliet again, Horatio looked at Tim, "Speed, go meet EMS and bring them directly here," he ordered. "One ambulance already took Rick away, but there should be another one arriving shortly if it's not already here…I'll stay with Mr. Wolfe."

Tim nodded and left the office at a run. Horatio moved back over to Ryan so that he could see Julliet.

"Just stay with me, Mr. Wolfe, look at Julliet," Horatio instructed the weary CSI as he knelt down next to Ryan. "Try and focus."

His entire body shaking and covered in sweat, Ryan forced himself to stay awake and focus on both his niece and Horatio. While Ryan gazed at Julliet, Horatio reached down and quickly pocketed Ryan's cell phone for evidence.

"Hang in there, Mr. Wolfe," Horatio said in a stern tone. "Help will be here very soon."

* * *

Across town, deep in the underworld of Miami, a middle-aged doctor known by associates as Dr. Savarrio, a well known therapeutic doctor and surgeon, entered a large room dressed in black scrubs. He saw a blonde haired woman that was dressed only in a slip on dress laying on the table with a rag over her mouth.

"Well, it took you long enough to get here," Bernard snapped as he stepped into the light. "My boys already knocked her out with chloroform and they're prepping more anesthetic to keep her heavily sedated."

At that very moment, two men, both dressed completely in black, came into the room hauling a stolen anesthesia machine and a mask with them, "We gotta hurry this up, Bernie, it was hard smuggling the stuff out of the hospital," one of the guys said in an accented tone.

"Shut up, Ramon, and bring the machine over here," Bernard snapped in an icy tone. "Clavo, go get the doc his tools…I don't want this taking too long, I want to have fun with her myself…the cameras, Savarrio."

Nodding, Dr. Savarrio walked over to the wall and came back to the "operating area" with several video cameras and tripods. He set them up just as Clavo and Ramon returned to the bed with the items.

"Clavo, are the cameras ALL running?" Bernard asked. "I want to have every moment on tape."

His hands full of supplies, Clavo quickly moved around and activated all the cameras. He nodded.

Grinning, Ramon placed the mask over the woman's face and held it there. Dr. Savarrio grinned and grabbing a scalpel from Clavo's hands, he moved over to the bullet hole in Emily's shoulder.

* * *

Having just taken photos and gathered evidence from the empty cell, Eric and Calleigh stood in the elevator with their hands full of boxes containing evidence bags and a camera. They were surprised when the elevator suddenly stopped and opened, yet it was most like due to some sort of slowdown.

"Looks like we're on the main floor," Eric commented as he and Calleigh stepped out of the elevator. "I guess we'll have to wait for another elevator or take the stairs to the Crime Lab, huh?"

Calliegh smiled, but before she could reply, another elevator door opened and paramedics came out rolling a gurney that contained a semi-conscious Ryan, who was still dressed in his pajamas, robe, and sneakers but had an oxygen mask over his face and an IV in his hand. His eyes were closed and he was sweating.

Horatio came out behind them with Julliet in his arms, "Have you finished going over the cell ?" he asked, watching as paramedics rolled Ryan towards the door.

Eric nodded, "We were on our way to the Crime Lab with it," he explained, frowning as the paramedics rolled Ryan outside and towards a waiting ambulance. "What happened to him?"

"Mr. Wolfe suffered a major anxiety attack upon receiving a text message with threatening content," Horatio stated, taking the phone from his pocket and placing it in one of the boxes. "I had gloves on and I picked this up from the floor. It contains the message and possible evidence into who did this."

Calleigh watched as paramedics loaded Ryan into the back of the ambulance and then looked at Horatio, "Maybe Ryan has an idea as to who did this," she commented. "Have you thought about asking him?"

"I'm planning on doing that once he's able to answer questions," Horatio replied. "For now, however, I am going to Mr. Wolfe and his injured niece to the hospital. While I'm gone, I would like you two to take that evidence up to the lab and get Speed to help you process it for anything that might be useful."

Calleigh nodded, "Is someone going to question Stetler about what happened in lockup?" she asked, concern in her voice. "He was there when it happened, maybe he knows who took the prisoner.."

"I sincerely doubt that Rick will be in any shape to answer questions for a few days at least," Horatio replied in an icy tone. "My priority at the moment is ensuring to the safety of Mr. Wolfe and his niece."

As Eric and Calleigh silently nodded, Horatio carried Julliet outside to the waiting ambula_nce._


	10. Secrets Spill From Heaven Like Rain

Feeling groggy and disoriented, Emily opened her eyes and quickly realized that her right hand was cuffed to a pipe of sorts. She also realized that she was laying in some sort of bed wearing nothing but a strapless black dress and she was covered by a light blanket.

"Well, it's about time you woke up," an accented voice said. "You've been so out of it."

Frowning, Emily looked around for the source of the voice, "If you promise not to scream, I will come out and we can talk," the voice said. "If you scream, I will hurt you."

"I won't scream," Emily replied in a soft voice. "Just please tell me where I am."

There was silence and then a figure dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a completely bare head and intense eyes waked into view, "Well, Miss Wolfe, how do you feel?"

Before Emily could reply, she felt a searing pain in her left shoulder and gazed down, only to find that it was bandaged and in a sling, "What happened to me?" she asked.

"Bernie missed you," Ramon replied in an amused tone. "He wanted to see you again."

Screwing up her face in disgust, "He took my kids and he wants a reunion?" she snapped.

"Well, since Bernie isn't here right now, how about you and I get to know each other?" Ramon cooed in a seductive voice as he sat down on the bed. "You have pretty blue eyes."

Repulsed, Emily pulled back as far as she could, "I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last man in the known galaxy," she spat angrily. "I want to know why I'm being held against my will."

"Bernie already got his pleasure with you anyway," Ramon sneered. "If you want to survive his wrath, I suggest you cooperate...Think of your little children...whether or not they're still alive."

Infuriated, Emily spat in Ramon's face just as the door opened, "Well, Bernie, you came just in time," Ramon said, getting up from the bed and moving away. "She's very feisty..."

"Well, I wouldn't expect anything less from a girlfriend of Horatio Caine," Bernard replied as he moved into the light and sat on the bed. "Ramon, I think Clavo needs you elsewhere..."

Taking the hint, Ramon left the room and Bernard placed a hand on Emily's cheek, "It's a shame about the children, they'll make good fish food," he crowed in an amused tone. "Once you're broken down to nothing, I think I'll pay a visit to Ryan and mess him up...it's been too long."

"Ryan knows you did this," Emily hissed through clenched teeth as Bernard caressed her face.

Bernard gave a hollow laugh, "Ryan's a physically weak, mentally addled fool," he replied, running his fingers along Emily's chin. "He'll do just about anything to see justice carried out..."

Before Emily could react, Bernard pressed his lips against hers, "Well, little Ryan's past is going to come back to haunt him," he said, pulling away. "Just like I'm haunting you right now, Emily."

Trembling, Emily felt so repulsed that she threw up all over Bernard, "Oh, that's disgusting," Bernard snapped, pulling away. "Don't worry, I'll smarten you up."

Quickly stealing another kiss, Bernard got off the bed and left the room cackling loudly.

Filled with terror about what would happen, Emily began to cry softly and in total silence.

* * *

The computer hummed for a few moments and then the word "Match" appeared on the screen.

Intrigued at whose fingerprints had been on Emily's jumpsuit, Tim waited a moment and frowned as Stetler's face and information appeared on the screen. He was silent and felt deeply disturbed about this: why was Stetler's DNA on Emily's jumpsuit? There was another beep and another picture and the name of Ramon Cruz appeared on the screen with a small record.

Tim was so focused on the screen that he didn't hear the door open and close, "Speed, did you find anything on her clothes?" Horatio asked as he came to a stop next to Speed.

"For some reason, Stetler's DNA is on the chest of her uniform," Speed replied, gesturing to the computer screen. "I wonder if Stetler and Emily had contact before the incident."

Horatio raised an eyebrow, "Interesting," he commented, suddenly noticing the other name on the screen. "The other one listed here is Ramon Cruz...I happen to know Ramon and his brother."

"Why would Stetler and Ramon Cruz go after Emily?" Speed asked, frowning.

Horatio thought for a moment and then moved over to another computer, "Maybe there's a connection to Emily and Stetler that we haven't thought of," he stated as he quickly typed information into the system. "Emily mentioned that she had an ex-husband..."

There was silence for a moment and then Horatio suddenly swore as a picture appeared on the screen with a detailed record underneath it, "Hmmm, interesting," he commented. "It appears that Stetler has had past association with a man named Bernard Marquez...According to this, Bernard Marquez was arrested for domestic abuse nearly a year ago..."

"Do you think Stetler might be able to tell us anything about this connection?" Tim asked, giving Horation a look.

Horatio shook his head, "From what I've heard, Stetler's still in Intensive Care and he's picky about who he wants to visit him," he replied. "We'd have to get solid evidence that he was involved in this before we could get some sort of warrant that would force him to talk."

There was silence for a moment as Tim pondered how they could solve this, "However, I've also been analyzing content on Mr. Wolfe's cell phone," Horatio stated. "It seems that he's been receiving threatening text messages for some time now from an unknown source."

"Ryan's still at the hospital, right?" Tim asked, concern in his voice.

Horatio nodded, "His niece is recovering there and Mr. Wolfe has no other place to go at this present time," he replied. "It might be prudent to go there and have a chat with him about this."

"Should we inform Delko or Calliegh about this and send them instead ?" Tim asked, unsure if they should leave the lab with all of this evidence out in the open.

"No, I believe that Mr. Wolfe will be more forthcoming with information if you and I approach him," Horatio stated in a firm voice. "Eric or Calleigh would only cause him further anxiety...Frank is already keeping an eye on things at the hospital, but he says that Mr. Wolfe is somewhat withdrawn and might benefit from somewhat of a less watchdog-like approach."

Tim nodded, as he remembered how shaken Ryan was when Calleigh talked to him three days ago about the APB. He figured that Ryan would respond better to a calm, unprovoking approach. He also remembered visiting the hospital yesterday and saw from a distance how shaken Ryan was about the incident and how withdrawn he seemed to be around all the medical staff.

"Give me a few minutes to secure the computers and the evidence," Tim replied, a sigh in his voice. "It wouldn't be good if this information got into the wrong hands."

Horatio nodded and moved to help, "You're right, Speed," he stated. "That could be deadly."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a less reputable area of Miami, a dark haired young woman gazed around self-consciously as she approached a man that was waiting in the shadow of an alley.

"Marisol, hello," an accented voice stated. "Are you feeling badly today?"

The woman sighed and gave a weak cough, "I don't know," she replied in a hoarse voice, placing a hand on her chest. "I know I should have made what Emily brought me last a little longer, as I know Ryan had to help pay for it, but I'm suffering all the time."

"Not to worry, girlie," the voice said, as he held out a large baggie. "Did you bring money?"

Marisol nodded and, reaching into her pocket, she brought out a wad of bills, "Big Dog, you are so understanding about this," she said, handing him the money. "Thank you."

"I may be a dealer, but I do care about those who need help," Big Dog said, extending the baggie to Marisol. "Here is enough to get you through the next ten days..."

Before Marisol could take the bag, however, there were footsteps and shots rang out.

With a scream, Big Dog collapsed to the ground. Marisol backed away, horrified.

The gun was cocked once more and fearing that she could be shot, Marisol turned and fled.

* * *

With a heart full of concern, Alexx walked down the hallway to where Frank lingered outside of a hospital room. She had a bag full of clean clothes and toiletries in her hand and although the clothes were her husband's and a little big, Ryan would probably appreciate them.

"Frank, I got a call from Timmy yesterday that said Ryan's not doing so well even though Julliet was looked after and is recovering nicely," Alexx commented, holding up the bag. "I brought some things from my husband to help him out."

Tripp sighed, "From what I hear, Julliet's going to be fine," he replied. "From what the nurses tell me, Ryan's stressed about her, his missing nephew, his missing sister, and having no safe place to go once his niece is well enough to leave the hospital...They wanted to keep him in a hospital bed on a monitor once they stabilized him, but he's refused any further medical treatment for himself."

"Haven't you gone in there?" Alexx asked. "Why are you getting all this information from nurses?"

Frank shook his head, "I tried going in there yesterday and talking with him," he stated. "The whole time I was in there, he wouldn't talk to me...he only focused on watching his niece."

Her heart aching for the young CSI, Alexx pushed open the door and entered the room. She saw that Julliet was asleep in bed with a tiny gown and blanket covering her body while her left arm was in a pink cast and little IV lines were in her right arm. Ryan had fallen asleep on the couch and he looked terrible with his baggy eyes, pale face, his hair messy, and rumpled clothes.

Gently placing the bag at Ryan's feet, Alexx gently tapped his foot, "Ryan, baby, wake up,"

Keeping his eyes closed, Ryan shifted, "Bernie, go away," he mumbled with a soft groan. "Quit sending me messages...I'll do what I think is best to help my sister."

Alexx frowned and shook his foot again, "Please, don't touch her," Ryan whimpered, his tone growing desperate. "I'll do anything you want...just don't hurt her or her kids..."

"Ryan," Alexx said in an urgent tone, slapping his foot hard. "Baby, you're dreaming."

Gasping, Ryan opened his eyes, "Alexx?" he asked in a groggy tone.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Ryan sat up and saw the bag, "What's that?" he asked.

"I brought you some things so you could have a break," Alexx said, seeing sudden alarm in Ryan's eyes about leaving his niece's side. "Don't worry, I'll stay with Julliet for a while."

A look of relief crossed Ryan's face, "Thank you," he whispered as he took the bag and shakily stood up. "I won't be gone long...just gonna go to my safe place for a bit...thank you."

"You take as much time as you need," Alexx said firmly. "Get something to eat too...We'll be fine and if we're not, Tripp is right outside...It's time to start caring about yourself."

Nodding, Ryan moved out of the room in silence, grateful that somebody seemed to care.

Little did Horatio and Tim know, however, that Stetler had information that would prove devastating to the progress, and possibly the outcome, of the case currently facing them.

* * *

Confused as to why Stetler had called and asked to meet with him, Eric entered the hospital room and saw that Stetler was not only awake, but was sitting upright with an anxious look on his face.

Despite being shot and almost dying on the operating table, Stetler seemed to be doing well and had only a single IV in his arm and chest tubes for his healing lungs. His laptop had somehow been brought and was sitting open on a portable table near the window

"Delko, it's about time you got here," Stetler said, placing a hand on his bandaged chest. "Can you get the portable table with my laptop? I have something that should prove very interesting to you."

Eric nodded and quickly brought the portable table over to where Stetler could reach it, "Did you bring Mr. Wolfe's cell-phone with you?" Stetler asked, accessing the mouse.

"Yeah, I did," Eric replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out Ryan's cell that he had gotten from evidence right after Horatio had returned it. "What did you want to show me?"

Stetler raised an eyebrow as he typed on the keyboard, "I've done some digging and it appears that Emily Wolfe is associated with a man that has been financially connected with a well known drug dealer in these parts," he explained. "The dealer was arrested last week and in exchange for escaping jail time, he gave us some pictures of people he's interacted with recently."

"I didn't think drug dealers took pictures of their clients," Eric replied in a skeptical tone.

Stetler scoffed, "We've had this dealer on our scope for some time and he agreed to keep a silent security camera hidden in his clothing in exchange for freedom," he snapped. "He gave us the tapes on a weekly basis and they've revealed some very interesting information."

Eric was silent and Stetler carefully turned the portable table and pressed the play button with his computer mouse, "This was filmed right after Mr. Wolfe was hired," he explained.

_The black screen faded into an abandoned lot in the middle of a dangerous area of Miami. A drug dealer who was known as Big Dog was lingering against a brick wall, hands in his pockets._

_For a moment, the dealer was alone. Then, Ryan came into view with a nervous look on his face._

_"Look, about that loan you gave me, I need some more time," Ryan said, his voice desperate. "I don't get paid for another few weeks...just got hired by the Crime Lab...I'm broke right now."_

_The dealer glared at Ryan, "Look, man, I'll only play nice cause you're a cop," he replied in a snappish tone. "Come to the game tonight and we'll settle this through the cards."_

_Ryan looked hesitant, "Dude, my sister works tonight," he replied. "I have to babysit and I am not endangering infant children just to get out of debt to you."_

_"Fine, come to the game next week," the dealer replied, giving Ryan an icy glare. "You miss it and I'll make sure that you'll never want to get in debt with me again, capeech?"_

_Swallowing hard, Ryan nodded, "Just leave her out of this and you'll get all that's owed to you," he promised, urgency in his voice. "Don't talk to her again...I'll handle things for her from now on."_

_The dealer laughed, "Why are you even here?" he taunted. "She's an adult..."_

_Ryan gritted his teeth, "Emily didn't know what she was doing and she doesn't know that I'm here," he snapped. "Her work, her kids, are important...You will now answer to me.."_

_"This is why I hate wasting my time with women, they're stupid," the dealer snapped with a sigh. "All right, Wolfe, I'll see you at the game next week...You had better play well, for their sake."_

_Nodding, Ryan turned and walked away silently. The dealer laughed._

Stetler closed the video screen, "After seeing this video, I think that Emily's an innocent victim who was trying to cover for Mr. Wolfe's unusual behavior," he stated. "I just don't understand why he would do something like this...perhaps he needs some help...You need to talk to him, Delko."

"I think he's staying in his niece's hospital room still," Eric replied. "I'll talk to him and see what I can find out about this...Maybe I can gain his trust..."

Letting out a yawn, Stetler nodded, "Delko, don't tell Horatio about this," he said as he laid back down to rest. "If Mr. Wolfe wanted people to know he has a problem, he would have said something to Horatio a long time ago...Obviously, he doesn't want people to know or help him..."

"Maybe his sister was helping him," Eric commented. "She is a counselor..."

Too tired to argue, Stetler closed his eyes, "Just get to the bottom of it, Delko," he replied sleepily.

Eric suddenly felt uneasy about what else might be on the laptop and, as Stetler was in a deep sleep, he quietly closed it and tucked it under his arm. He would have it back before Stetler woke.

He slipped the cell-phone back into his jacket pocket. Maybe there would also be evidence on there that could help explain all this. As this case progressed, Eric was continually feeling uneasy about the amount of Stetler seemed to have despite claiming ignorance in this case.

Despite Stetler claiming to be an innocent bystander, Eric suspected that he was far from that, as why would Stetler be down in the cell at the precise moment that gunmen attacked it?

The next thing to do would be to go visit Ryan and talk to him about the video before Horatio had a chance to find out about it. Maybe there was a simple explanation for this whole situation.

Taking great care not to wake Stetler, Eric quietly crept out of the hospital room.

* * *

While a nurse checked Julliet over to see how she was progressing, Alexx looked up just in time to see the door open, "Horatio, Tim, what are you doing here?" she asked, moving away from the bed.

"We came to speak with Mr. Wolfe, but Frank said that he had left the room nearly half an hour ago," Horatio replied. "Do you have any idea where he went?"

Alexx shrugged, "I brought him some stuff so he could clean himself up a little," she stated. "He was having some sort of nightmare about a guy named Bernie...told him to stop sending him messages...whatever that means..."

Horatio raised an eyebrow, "When I analyzed Mr. Wolfe's cell-phone, I found that he had been receiving threatening text messages," he replied. "He received one on the day he brought his niece to the Crime Lab..."

"Didn't the computer say that Stetler was connected to a man named Bernard Marquez?" Tim asked, remembering what they had found on the computer. "Maybe that's 'Bernie'."

Nodding, Horatio sighed, "Perhaps Bernard Marquez is Emily's ex-husband," he contemplated, gazing at Alexx. "Alexx, do you have any idea where Mr. Wolfe disappeared to?"

"No, he only said something about going to his safe place," Alexx stated, smiling as Julliet fell asleep. "He said that he'd be back quickly, but I told him to take his time..."

The nurse suddenly looked up, "Oh, Officer Wolfe is probably in his sister's office," she stated in a gentle tone as she checked that the IV's were in place. "Since Emily was hired here, he's come by occasionally and spent a lot of time just sitting in her office...it's where he feels safe and when he does that, Emily will close the door and give him time to himself...she'll wait in the hall..."

"And you know all this how, exactly?" Tim asked, uncertain as to how the nurse could know this.

"This isn't a big hospital and nurses talk," the nurse replied, straightening up. "Julliet's doing fine, by the way...I have to go look in on other patients, but please let Mr. Wolfe know when he returns."

As the nurse left, Speed looked at Horatio, "If you wanna stay here, H, I can go up to Emily's office and see if Ryan is in there," he stated. "I kinda already know where her office is."

Unaware that Eric had arrived and was just behind him, Horatio raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really, Speed?" he asked, giving his CSI a questioning look. "How exactly do you know this?"

"Uh, Speed and I were in there looking around the night Emily was arrested," Eric replied in a hesitant tone as he moved into the room. "Speed was trying to sneak to the cafeteria..."

Unable to help himself, Horatio allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips, "I won't give you both a lecture about this, at least not yet," he replied as he turned to face Eric and saw the laptop under his arm. "Eric, what is that under your arm?"

"Stetler phoned me and asked to meet with me in his room," Eric replied, holding the laptop out to Horatio. "I took his laptop when he fell back asleep...H, he asked me to bring the cell-phone too."

Horatio quickly put gloves on and took the laptop, "Next time, Eric, get a warrant," he stated in a stern tone, tucking the laptop under his arm. "I'll take this back to the lab while you and Speed go upstairs to Emily's office and talk with Mr. Wolfe...After that, Eric, go talk to Stetler again."

Pursing his lips, Horatio gazed back at Julliet for a moment, "If there's any word on Emily or her son's location, let me know," he stated. "One child is here and safe, but mother and son are not."

Letting out a sigh, Horatio turned and silently moved out of the hospital room.

"Eric, while we're walking up there, I think I'm gonna phone my mom," Tim said. "She might know something about Emily...I don't know what, but I just have this feeling that she can help."

Eric gave Tim a strange look, but nodded and the two left the room. As the door opened and closed, Alexx gently moved the blanket further up so that it would cover all of Julliet's tiny body.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Alexx cooed to the sleeping Julliet. "We'll find both your mama and your brother."

* * *

Relieved that the door was closed, Ryan lay down on the couch and gazed up at the ceiling.

The clothes that Alexx had brought him to wear were a little big, but they were better than the rumpled sleep pants and t-shirt he had been wearing for the past three days. After changing clothes, he had brushed his teeth and combed his hair. The bag was now on Emily's desk.

Julliet would be fine, Ryan knew that, but the question was what to do now?

No doubt Stetler would make sure that his secrets would end up being exposed, which could effectively end his career as a CSI and cop. He could also have Julliet taken away from him.

After the last time he had gone to Big Dog, Emily had insisted that he go to Gambler's Anonymous meetings to work on his problem. He had done that and had not gone back to Big Dog since.

No doubt Big Dog had been involved in Jessi's murder, as well as the disappearance of Emily and her children. As he lay there, Ryan figured that Big Dog and Bernie had planned this together. Bernie had probably asked Clavo and Ramon for help because of their immunity to being arrested.

Ryan's eyes fell shut and he began to think about Stetler's last threat to him: the threat that had sent him into a panic attack while he was holding Julliet. Thankfully, Horatio had been there.

Ever since he and Emily were separated as children because what had happened with their father, Ryan had always been under Stetler's eye and it had gotten worse upon moving to Miami.

There was little doubt in Ryan's mind that Stetler had gotten power-hungry over the years and had formed a friendship with Bernard because he had married Emily. It was all about control to them.

Stetler was probably also involved in Emily's disappearance, but the only thing that could prove it was the security tape from lockup and that was currently missing along with a lot of the evidence.

If Emily or James were never released from their captivity, Ryan could at least keep Julliet safe.

At the hospital, she was safe: besides the broken arm, the doctor had diagnosed her with light pneumonia, dehydration, malnutrition, and she had been sexually assaulted by her captor. When the doctor had told him, Ryan had to fight the urge to vomit, as he was horror struck by that.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door. Too exhausted to wake, Ryan rolled on his side.

The door opened and footsteps entered the room. A hand came down on Ryan's shoulder.

Fear filling his heart, Ryan opened his eyes, rolled and saw Marisol standing over him.

"Is Emily here?" Marisol asked as Ryan sat up. "I need to talk to her."

Realizing that Marisol had no idea what had happened, Ryan shook his head, "Marisol, a few weeks ago, Emily was arrested and while she was in the lockup at Miami-Dade PD, she was taken," he explained. "Jessi was murdered at Emily's apartment and her kids were taken..."

Marisol clapped a hand over her mouth and sat down next to Ryan, "A few days ago, I found Julliet injured and in a basket on my doorstep," he explained. "Not long after that, I got a text message and I found a bomb under my sink…I escaped with Julliet just in time."

"I should have sent Emily away when she showed up with some drugs for me," Marisol whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "I was just so sick….she stayed and looked after me until she had to go to work at that club…I didn't think she would end up arrested for helping me…she protected me."

As Marisol cried, Ryan put an arm around her. Neither noticed that Tim and Eric were eavesdropping in the hallway and had heard Marisol's entire speech. Letting out a quiet sigh, Tim knocked on the door.

"Officer Speedle," Ryan said, fear in his voice. "Officer Delko….this isn't what it looks like."

Eric gazed at Marisol, his eyes wide with shock, "Marisol, is what I heard true?" he asked.

"I was so sick that afternoon, I called Emily for help," Marisol explained through her tears. "She went to Big Dog and bought some for me…When Emily came to my house, I could barely get to the door. I let her in and after she helped me roll it, I smoked…She cleaned my house and helped me to bed so I could sleep."

Eric sighed and gazed at Tim, "Marisol's got cancer and the drugs help her feel better," he explained, gazing back at Marisol. "You could have asked me to help…why did you go to Emily and Ryan?"

"I was stressed about the cancer and was seeking counseling from Emily," Marisol explained. "She was helping me to feel better about it….I can't believe she got arrested because of me."

Tim sighed, "Well, that explains where Emily went after she talked to me," he said, crossing his arms.

"It also explains the time gap between her working at the hospital and working at Vision that evening," Eric stated, gazing at Tim. "Calliegh and I were at a club and we saw Emily bartending there."

Again, Tim sighed, "Eric, go find Horatio," he said, gazing at Marisol and Ryan. "Ryan, one more thing...I phoned my mom and when I mentioned your name, she said she was coming…she seems to know something about you...Eric, hurry, we really haven't got all day."

Eric nodded and left. Ryan gulped and releasing Marisol, he buried his face in his hands and cried. Everything was falling apart so fast.

* * *

Deep within her place of captivity, Emily lay flat, handcuffed to a metal table with the only source of warmth being the dress that barely covered her body. She could see a camera hanging above her. No doubt that Bernard was taping this for amusement, Emily reasoned

Every part of her body was either numb from cold or hurting from being assaulted mercilessly.

A blindfold suddenly covered her eyes and a gag was forced into her dry mouth.

There was silence and Emily whimpered as ice water ran down her chest and arms. It was unbearably cold.

"Don't struggle, this won't take long," a dark voice hissed. "This will teach you to behave."

As tears rolled down her face, Emily felt the harsh cuts of a whip strike her already frail and tired body repeatedly.

There was little doubt that she would either die or be broken by what was happening to her now.


	11. Underground Samaritans and Saboteurs

In another area of the abandoned warehouse, a lone figure hidden by shadow crept away from where Ramon lay on the floor, too drunk to move or even be awake. Keys were in his fist.

Ever since being kidnapped from an underground drug lab six months ago where he was working for the Feds undercover, Raymond Caine had been a prisoner of Clavo and Ramon. He had been given enough food and water to survive, but had been subjected to an occasional beating.

From what he had been able to gather through eavesdropping, Ray knew that these gangsters were connected to a cop named Stetler, who had been playing dirty for quite some time.

Also during his time, Ray had squirelled away supplies in a "borrowed" backpack and he had kept that hidden just in case an opportunity for escape presented itself in the near future, like now.

Clavo was off somewhere, probably getting high or laid and he had been left with Ramon.

However, from the female screams he had heard recently, Ray knew that they weren't alone.

Ray had subtly gotten Ramon drunk and had asked about the woman's scream.

Too drunk to know what he was saying, Ramon had told him all about Emily and how Bernard had taken her kids and eventually planned to have all three of them killed, but he had shown a touch of mercy at the last moment and had sent the little girl to be cared for by her OCD uncle.

Ramon had been stupid enough to also tell him that Bernard had gone with Clavo and that Bernard was so into torturing his ex that he was taping it all to watch later on.

Using his charm, Ray had gotten the drunk Ramon to tell him where Emily was being kept and found out that despite being held for only a short time, the woman had suffered barbaric torture.

Now, while Ramon was passed out on the floor, Ray was headed to where she was being held, having already stolen another one of the tapes that recorded torture from another room.

Hopefully it would not be too late to rescue this woman...hopefully, she was still alive.

* * *

Ensuring that he was alone, Horatio opened the laptop and immediately noticed a folder named "Wolfe Files" on the desktop screen. He frowned and, moving the mouse, he clicked the file twice.

Instantly, a list of folders labeled "Domestic Incidents", "Child Files", and "The Incident" appeared on the screen, followed by a small text document that was labeled "Organization."

Before Horatio could look in any of the files, however, his cell-phone vibrated and the door opened.

Horatio took his cell-phone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear just as Calliegh approached him, "This is Horatio," he said into the phone as he motioned for Calliegh to wait a moment.

There were several minutes of silence and then Horatio raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked, his tone intrigued. "All right...tell Frank to keep guarding the room where Alexx is with Julliet and tell Speed to talk to Mr. Wolfe and you bring Marisol here, I'll be waiting for you both. "

His mouth tight, Horatio closed the phone and put it back in his pocket, "Calliegh, I need you to log this laptop into evidence and then I need one of the techies to browse the files," he said. "Eric took this from Stetler's room...Stetler was also in the cell on the day Emily was taken, which I find odd."

"Does Stetler know that Eric stole his laptop?" Calliegh asked, raising an eyebrow.

Horatio's face remained expressionless as he pulled another cell-phone out of his other pocket and showed it to Calliegh, "Eric gave Mr. Wolfe's cell-phone to me as I was leaving," he explained. "He said that Stetler had sent Mr. Wolfe a text message the night of the incident at the club."

Calleigh took the cell-phone and quickly accessed the text messages, "Here it is," she said, handing the phone back to Horatio. "Why would Stetler text Ryan, though?"

Horatio took the phone and reading it, he frowned, "Sounds like Stetler was issuing Mr. Wolfe a threat of some kind," he said. "I'll make a quick phone call to Speed and tell him to ask Mr. Wolfe about it...Maybe Stetler was more involved in this situation than anyone originally thought."

"How are we supposed to prove that with no evidence?" Calliegh asked. "Eric could get in trouble for stealing this laptop without a warrant or cause..."

Horatio thought for a moment, "I believe the threatening text message gives us cause to get a warrant for Stetler's office and house to be searched," he stated. "I think that the evidence from Jessi's murder and Emily's abduction will be found in either one of those locations...We can use the laptop contents as evidence because of the text message..it was issued before today."

Calliegh nodded, "I'll look into it," she replied. "What was the phone call about?"

"That was Speed," Horatio explained. "Apparently, there is now an alibi that explains Emily's whereabouts between her time at the hospital and her time at the club...Eric is on his way back to the PD with the alibi...apparently, Emily was visiting a Marisol Delko that afternoon."

Calliegh's jaw dropped, "Marisol Delko?" she whispered, shocked. "Eric once mentioned that he had a sister named Marisol...why would...?"

"That is what I'm going to find out," Horatio stated, moving away. "Take care of the laptop, please."

As Horatio left the room, Calleigh put on a pair of gloves and began to tag the laptop as evidence.

* * *

Fury filled Stetler's veins as he woke and realized that Eric had taken his laptop for a stroll.

All of his files that pertained to past and present cases were on that laptop. Information that he had found illegally and stored in order to legitimately arrest Emily Wolfe was on there as well.

Now that his laptop was probably at the crime lab being searched, Stetler knew that there was only one thing left he could possibly do: he could threaten Ryan into being quiet or else. He could also tell Bernie that Emily should be disposed of or sent far enough away that she couldn't talk.

Gritting his teeth, Stetler got out of bed and, moving slowly towards the phone, he picked the receiver up and dialed a number, "Clavo, this is Ricky," he whispered into the phone. "...I don't care if you and Bernard are off doing something you CLAIM is important...I need you to tell Bernie that it's high time he did something about his ex-wife...the CSI's are closing in on everything..."

There was silence and Stetler slammed the receiver down. Clavo was useless, he just wanted to ignore Emily's presence and deal with that little drug addict brother of Horatio's that he and Ramon had captured six months earlier from an underground drug lab.

Despite feeling like crap, Stetler knew that he had cards to play, now it was his turn to have fun and bring people down with their hidden, very haunting, pasts.

* * *

In her isolated room, Emily lay there in silence as tears cascaded down her pale face.

The gag was firmly secured in her mouth and she was starting to have trouble breathing.

Her body was completely numb from being tortured with water and injured repeatedly. She was so tired and all hope of rescue had faded away. Ryan would be left to fend for himself now.

Her children were most likely dead and as Bernard had said, fish food, which broke her heart.

When she finally closed her eyes, Emily knew that she most likely wouldn't wake up again.

There was a creak as a door was pushed open. A small amount of light flooded the room.

"Don't be alarmed," Ray whispered as he approached the table and used the stolen keys to unlock the handcuffs that held Emily to the table. "I've come to help you."

As the handcuffs were removed from her wrists and the gag was pulled from her mouth, Emily felt herself being pulled against a man's clothed chest, "Who are you?" she asked, her tired voice a hoarse whisper. "Am I going to be killed now?"

"My name is Raymond Caine," Ray said in a gentle voice as he took his jacket off and placed it over Emily's weakened body. "I know you're Emily Wolfe...can you walk on your own?"

Emily weakly shuddered, "I can't feel anything," she whispered. "I can't move..."

Ray nodded and gently lifted Emily into his strong arms, "Just hang on to me," he said as he carefully reached up and quickly removed the tape from the camera hanging above the table.

"Someone will find you here," Emily whispered as Ray carried her from the room and through the cold warehouse. "They'll kill you and then they'll kill me..."

Ray chuckled, "Ramon is passed out drunk," he replied. "Bernard and Clavo are off somewhere, probably messing around with drugs or women...Was a cop named Stetler involved in this?"

"He had me arrested..for something I didn't do," Emily whispered.

Before Ray could reply, there were footsteps and a weapon was cocked, "Don't move," the drunken, angry voice of Ramon Cruz hissed. "I'll kill both of you..."

Silently praying for release, Emily buried her face in Ray's shirt and whimpered.

In an instant, shots had been fired and someone collapsed to the floor with a gasp.

* * *

Tripp raised an eyebrow at seeing Stetler walking slowly down the hallway towards the room where Alexx and Julliet were, "What are you doing out of the ICU?" he asked.

"Where's Delko and Wolfe at?" Stetler hissed, tightening his grip around the IV pole. "Delko stole my laptop...that little idiot Wolfe has been planting ideas in his head..."

Tripp gave Stetler a funny look, "Whatever they've got you on has got you actin strange," he said, the doubt in his tone clear. "Delko went back to the PD...Ryan's off taking a break somewhere."

"You listen to me, Tripp, that OCD freak was involved in a murder years ago!" Stetler shouted, anger in his voice. "Delko took my laptop illegally and is probably searching it...I want to talk to Wolfe right now...Find him or I will."

Tripp sighed, "Well, Stetler, I hate to tell you this, but you look more guilty than Wolfe does right now," he stated, annoyed. "Horatio got a warrant and there's cops searching your office and house for any evidence from the recent murder and abduction cases..."

"You have no RIGHT to go snooping through my office and house!" Stetler hissed angrily.

Before Tripp could reply, the nurse came up to them, "There's was a tsunami warning issued hours ago that supposed to hit sometime in the next few hours," she said, gently taking Stetler's arm. "We're in the process of evacuating patients to different hospitals further inland."

"I'll go inform Alexx and tell her to alert Mr. Wolfe and Speedle," Tripp said, glaring at Stetler.

The nurse nodded, "Come with me, sir, let's get you prepared to be moved," she said, pulling Stetler away. "Tsunami's are no joke..."

Knowing that he was on the verge of being caught, Stetler silently let the nurse led him away.

Biting his lip, Frank opened the door and went into the room to alert Alexx to the situation.

* * *

Tim leaned against Emily's desk and watched as his mom sat on the couch next to Ryan, waiting for him to stop looking at the floor and talk about how he was feeling about his circumstances.

He had no idea how his mom knew Ryan or Emily Wolfe, but he would eventually.

"Ryan, you need to talk about how you're feeling," Rosa said in a gentle tone. "A lot of bad things have happened to you in a very short amount of time and it's not healthy to keep feelings bottled."

Ryan wanted very much to talk to Rosa, but he felt slightly intimidated by Tim's presence.

Unfortunately, Tim noticed that and raised an eyebrow, "What exactly are you scared of me for, Ryan?" he asked. "You're acting the same way you did when I found you and Julliet in the PD locker room...It seems you have a fear of cops despite being a cop...wanna tell me why?"

Ryan shook his head and continued looking at the floor, "It's personal," he replied in a soft, yet very monotone voice. "I have to figure out what I'm going to do now...so much to think about."

"I have room at my place if you need a place to crash for a while," Tim replied, his tone sincere. "Your niece will probably be here for a little while longer...you can't live at a hospital."

Ryan shook his head, "I can't leave Julliet here by herself," he protested. "She's a little kid."

"Ryan, honey, listen to me," Rosa said, gently placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Julliet will be fine and you need to trust that...you need to plan for the future, for both her and you."

Letting out a tired sigh, Ryan lifted his head, but before he could reply, the door swung open and Alexx stood there with Julliet in her arms, "We have to go, a tsunami's coming," she said.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," a nurse said, suddenly coming up behind Alexx. "It's a lot closer than originally realized and we're locking the hospital down," she said, gazing at the group.

As Tim and Rosa looked at eachother, Ryan looked at Alexx and Julliet, pure terror in his eyes.

* * *

Removing his sunglasses, Horatio got out from behind the wheel of his Humvee and gazed at the clouds for a moment before turning towards Stetler's house, where an officer waited at the door.

A box full of evidence bags and a CSI kit were in Horatio's hands. He hoped this would be quick, but Eric and Marisol were on their way back to the PD, but were stuck in traffic so there was time.

The warrant hadn't taken long to get and while he was here, Calliegh was back at the lab going over the laptop. After that was done, she would come and help process Stetler's house.

An uneasy feeling about the strange clouds in the sky made Horatio's skin crawl and he quickly turned on the radio in the Humvee,"...Reports are coming in that the tsunami will hit Miami in a matter of hours, although there are already reports of wave activity...Everyone is advised to either evacuate or move to higher ground if evacuation is impossible.." a voice on the radio said.

Swearing under his breath, Horatio hurried towards the house and quickly ushered the officer inside. Judging by the clouds and cold, the tsunami was coming fast and wouldn't wait.

There was no time to warn Eric and Marisol, so hopefully, they would find a place to hide.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, Ray carried Emily over to a bus stop that was surrounded by heavy plastic and gently set her down on the bench, "I'm not anything close to a medic, but I'll do my best to make sure you're okay," he said as he took the backpack off, opened it, and pulled out a collapsible blanket. "I'm going to wrap this around your waist and legs to keep them warm."

Killing Ramon with the gun he kept hidden in his sleeve was easy enough and Ray was then able to focus on running whilst keeping Emily alive and comfortable

"Why would you help me?" Emily asked, laying back against the plasic wall for support as Ray covered her waist and legs with the blanket. "You don't even know me..."

Ray sighed, "I'm helping you because no woman deserves to get treated the way the Cruz brothers, Bernard Marquez, and Rick Stetler have treated you," he said in a tight tone. "I may not know anything about playing by the rules, but I know some things about helping others."

Emily was becoming too tired to reply, so Ray continued, "You need to stay awake for as long as possible," he said in a concerned tone. "I have a flare gun that I'm going to give you and I want you to signal for help...I'll leave this backpack with you...You have to stay awake, okay?"

"You're not staying?" Emily asked, worried for her safety if this man left her alone.

Ray shook his head and placed the open backpack on Emily's lap, "I can't stay," he replied in a soft, reassuring tone as he took a flare gun out of it and placed it in her hand. "You'll be okay."

Emily nodded and gripped the flare gun weakly, "Please don't tell anyone that I helped you," Ray said, his tone anxious. "If my cover is blown, it could cause a lot of trouble...feel better, all right?"

Before Emily could reply, Ray stood and walked off into a distant, dark alley.

Swallowing hard, Emily stared at the flare gun and with shaking hands, she raised it to fire. The flare gun was her only hope now.

* * *

On the road, Eric shut the vehicle off and looked out at the approaching waves, "Mari, we need to find a place to take shelter," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Forget the vehicle, it can be replaced...Let's start running."

Eric helped Marisol get out of the vehicle and they made their way along the side of the road, ignoring the stares they were getting from panicked people trying to evacuate the city.

"Where are we going to hide, Eric?" Marisol asked as they hurried along the roadside.

Before Eric could reply, there was a hissing and the sound of plastic breaking.

Frightened, Marisol looked around and across the street, she could see someone sitting in a bus stop holding up what looked like a gun. There was a hole in the top of the plastic enclosure.

"Eric, over there, in the bus stop," Marisol said, gesturing across the road.

Catching sight of the damaged bus stop, Eric grabbed Marisol's hand and they weaved through the traffic jam to the other side of the street. They moved over to the bus stop.

"Miami PD!" Eric said, placing a hand on his gun. "Put your hands up and come out of there."

There was a small groan, "I-I can't move," a faint voice replied. "I'm so cold and tired."

Frowning, Eric moved around to the station and gasped at who was laying there, barely conscious. She looked cold, tired, and very afraid of what had happened to her.

"Officer Delko?" Emily asked, unable to believe her tired eyes. "Is that you?"

"Emily," Eric asked, stunned and confused as to how Emily had ended up here. "There's a tsunami coming, we need to get to some shelter...Can you stand and walk at all?"

"I can't," Emily whispered, her body shaking as she tried to sit up. "I need help."

As Eric lifted Emily into his arms, Marisol came around, "Emily, you're okay," she said, her voice full of relief as she looked at her battered and tired friend. "You're hurt...Eric..."

"Take the backpack, Mari, and let's go," Eric said. "We need to get to shelter and call 9-1-1."

Taking the backpack, Marisol nodded and followed Eric as he carried Emily off down the street.

While the trio ran to safety, the tsunami wave closed in. Time to run and hide was nearly up.


	12. Freedom From Stormy Filthiness

Having heard that the tsunami was over, the nurse opened the door to Emily's office and saw patients being moved towards the elevators. She reached for Julliet, but Alexx held her close.

"I can take her back downstairs," Alexx said, knowing that Ryan wouldn't want it any other way.

The nurse gazed at Ryan, who had fallen asleep on the couch. He had held Julliet for part of the night and then had given her back to Alexx so he could sleep. Tim was leaning against the desk, watching as Rosa gently stroked Ryan's hair as a calming effect to keep him asleep.

Tim's cell-phone vibrated and not wanting to wake the over-exhausted CSI, Tim moved out into the hallway and lifted the phone to his ear. Tim mumbled into the phone for a few seconds and Alexx watched Tim's expression change to one of shock. He mumbled some more and hung up.

"Alexx, you need to go downstairs right now," Tim said in a serious tone.

Alexx frowned, "Why, Tim, what's wrong?" she asked, gently stroking Julliet's hair.

"Eanric and his sister were trying to get to safe ground before dawn and they came across Ryan's sister in a enclosed bus stop and she's in bad shape," Tim explained in a low voice. "They called 9-1-1 just after the tsunami ended and came with her in the ambulance."

Frowning, Alexx gently passed Julliet to Tim, "If Ryan wakes up, don't let him come downstairs as the shock of seeing his sister in bad shape will upset him," she said, moving away. "Take Julliet back to her room and somebody had better call Horatio and let him know."

While Alexx hurried down the hallway, Tim gazed at Julliet and she fell asleep in his arms.

Not wanting to wake her, Tim just stood there silently, gazing at her innocent face.

Behind him, Ryan had overheard Tim and Alexx talking and was slowly waking up.

* * *

As the sun rose, Horatio and the uniformed officer carried a box full of bagged and tagged evidence that they had seized from Stetler's home during the tsunami: female underclothes, two small security tapes from the cellblock and a folder full of photos that were probably horrible.

There were downed trees and loose debris all over the ground as well as on the Humvee.

It was fortunate that Stetler lived inland, as the waves hadn't done much damage to the area.

While the uniformed officer put the box into the back seat, Horatio moved around to the driver's side of the car and got in to wait. Suddenly, his cell-phone started vibrating.

"This is Horatio," Horatio said as he pulled the cell-phone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear. "Mr. Wolfe...What do you mean your sister's been found?"

There was silence for a few minutes, "Mr. Wolfe, listen to me very carefully," Horatio said, his tone urgent. "I want you and Speed's mother to take Julliet back to her hospital room and stay there...Tell Speed to go down to the ER and find out the particulars from Eric...all right?"

Horatio closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. Now that Emily had been found innocent, alive, and was being medically treated, it would be easier to process the evidence. He would eventually need to get information from her to back up the evidence, but that could wait.

After they got back to the lab, he would turn the evidence over to Calliegh for processing and he would personally search Stetler's office. No doubt he would find something there.

* * *

Leaning against one of the trauma room walls, Eric watched as a nurse covered Emily's upper body with a heated blanket. Despite being awake, Emily was quiet and kept gazing over at him.

Her heavily bruised legs were exposed, as she hadn't let anyone cover them. An oxygen mask on her pale, severely bruised face. IV lines trailed out from under the blankets. The jacket, black dress, and blanket had been removed and Eric had bagged them for transport back to the crime lab.

Emily's shoulder wound had been treated and bandaged. Fortunately, it wasn't infected.

After spending the duration of the tsunami hiding in an inland MacDonald's that had remained open, Eric had phoned 9-1-1 and both he and Marisol had insisted on coming to the hospital with Emily. Now, he was in the trauma room while Marisol waited outside with the backpack and Emily's clothes in a bag.

Normally, medical staff would not have allowed anyone else in the trauma room, but Emily had weakly asked that he stay. The medical staff had let him stay, but told him keep out of the way.

"Miss, please let a nurse put a blanket over your legs," the doctor, a young male intern who was very irritated about having Eric in the room said. "You could lose your ability to walk if your legs aren't warmed immediately...Your circulation..."

Emily tensed up and shook her head, "Now, kid, aren't you being a little dramatic?" a sharp voice said as footsteps entered the room. "I think you should really learn some bedside manner."

The intern glared at Alexx, "Look, I have a job to do..." he began, but Alexx cut him off.

"Go play doctor somewhere else," Alexx snapped. "I'll handle this."

Gritting his teeth, the intern threw the chart on the floor and stormed from the room.

"Who are you?" Emily asked, moving the mask away from her face.

Alexx looked at Eric, "This is Doctor Alexx Woods, she's a Medical Examiner at the Miami Dade Crime Lab," Eric explained in a gentle tone. "Is it okay if she examines your legs?"

"I need a lot more than a leg examination, Officer Delko," Emily whispered, gazing down at the blanket that covered her upper body. "Just don't tell my brother, okay?"

Alexx gazed at the nurse, "Can you please go get a rape kit?" she said, her tone solemn.

"I'll wait outside until Alexx is done, okay?" Eric stated, gazing at Emily. "Just relax."

Emily nodded and tears began to fall from her face and on to the blanket, "Thank you for helping me," she whispered. "I don't know what I would have done if-"

Eric nodded, "Just relax, okay?" he said. "I'll be right outside."

As Alexx pulled the curtain around the gurney, Eric sighed and quietly left the room.

* * *

Back at the Crime Lab, Horatio entered Stetler's office and walked over to his desk.

The evidence gathered from Stetler's home was being process, but there was more.

With gloves on his hands, Horatio carefully opened and closed two drawers, each time finding nothing more than blank paper, pens, pencils, and empty folders.

However, upon opening the third drawer, Horatio saw a gun and a small tape inside; a tape that looked as if it belonged in a security camera...why was it in Stetler's desk?

Horatio gritted his teeth in anger: Stetler had probably had some fun at Emily's expense while she was in the cell-block and had taken the security tape so that nobody could prove it.

The gun was probably the same one that had hurt Emily...but was it the one that killed her friend?

Picking up the gun and tape, Horatio moved out of the office. Stetler was in big trouble now.

Even if he wasn't involved, withholding evidence was enough to get him arrested.

Horatio had a nasty feeling that Stetler was not only involved, he got a great thrill from doing it.

* * *

Eric watched as the curtain was pushed back and immediately noticed that Emily's legs were covered in blankets and that she was crying. Alexx was standing next to a portable table sealing up an envelope and there was an anguished look on her normally calm face.

Alexx placed the envelope on the portable table and exchanged some words with the nurse that, because of the window, Eric couldn't hear. Emily winced and began to cough.

More words were exchanged and Alexx gently stroked Emily's hair. The nurse said a few words.

Emily nodded and closed her eyes just as the nurse returned the mask to her pale face. He watched as Alexx picked up the envelope and moved towards the sliding glass doors.

"Here's the rape kit," Alexx whispered as she came out of the trauma room and handed the envelope to Eric. "I'm going to help take Emily for x-rays and get her settled in a hospital room so I'll be here a while...Somebody had better let Ryan know what's going on..."

Tears came to Alexx's eyes and she gazed downward, "What is it?" Eric said, not noticing that Speed was approaching from behind. "Alexx, I already know that she was raped..."

"Eric, it's not the fact that she was raped that unsettles me so much," Alexx replied in a cracking voice as she looked back up at Eric. "It's the fact that she told me who raped her..."

Tim raised an eyebrow, "Ryan's sister was raped?" he asked. "By who?"

Eric turned and saw Speed standing there, "I thought you were in Emily's office with your mom, Ryan, and Julliet," he said. "What are you doing down here?"

"Ryan overheard a nurse telling Alexx about Emily being found," Tim explained. "He phoned Horatio in a panic and Horatio basically told him to relax...I came down to get information on what's going on...My mom and Ryan are with Julliet in her room...Tripp's guarding them."

Eric nodded, "I was holding Emily's daughter when Alexx left and she starter crying when I tried to give her to my mom," Tim continued. "I had to make sure she was asleep before I left..."

"Who raped Emily?" Marisol, who had been lingering nearby, asked as she moved closer to the window so that she could see her friend. "Why would anyone want to do that to her?"

Alexx sighed, "Emily said that during the nights before she was taken from her cell, she had a visitor..." she began, her voice trembling. "Not only was she raped in jail, she was also raped by somebody else during her time in captivity..."

* * *

_Emily lay on the bed in her cell, gazing up at the ceiling with tired eyes._

_The moon shined through the window bars. A howling wind filtered through the window._

_Letting out a sigh, Emily shivered and sat up. She rose and moved over to the sink._

_The cell door suddenly opened and Stetler came into the cell. Emily froze._

_Words were exchanged and Stetler pulled a needle from his pocket. He became angry and jabbed the needle into Emily's neck. It didn't take long before Emily was on the floor, trembling._

_Gazing around, Stetler quickly stripped her and undid his pants, all the while grinning._

_The next few minutes of the recording were somewhat graphic and it pained Horatio to watch it, but he had no choice. He watched as Stetler finally redressed Emily and placed her on the bed to make it as if she was sleeping soundly. Stetler then caressed her face and left the cell._

Fighting the urge to vomit, Horatio shut the tape off. Good thing he had sent the AV guy away.

Biting his lips, Horatio inserted the next tape: the security tape from the day of the abduction.

_The cell door was unlocked and opened. Emily looked up and immediately winced in disgust, as Stetler was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face. Words were exchanged and he walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. More vicious words were exchanged._

_Emily slid away from him, but Stetler said something and pulled her close. Emily slapped Stetler and again pulled away. Stetler said something else and then looked towards the open cell door._

_Masked men carrying guns suddenly entered the cell. Stetler advanced on Emily and, grabbing her arm, he threw her in the direction of the gunmen and looked at them in anticipation. _

_Shots were fired and Emily fell. Two gunmen left while Stetler stayed with the other one._

_Emily lay unconscious on the floor with a bullet hole in the shoulder of her jail clothes while Stetler guarded the door, watching as one of the gunmen approached the fallen prisoner with a tight black dress in hand. Blood was all over the floor and Emily was unconscious. _

_Stetler started yelling at the gunman anxiously. The gunman quickly removed Emily's shoes and uniform, then he quickly slipped her bra and underwear off and put the dress over her body._

_Again, Stetler yelled something and looked angry. While one of the gunmen pulled the unconscious Emily over his shoulder, the other one moved over to Stetler with his weapon drawn._

_More words were exchanged and Stetler yelled. Without warning, the gunman shot Stetler._

_As Stetler sank to the ground and lay there, trying to stay conscious, the two gunmen ran from the cell with the unconscious and bleeding Emily in their custody. They disappeared through a door that Stetler had left propped open. Stetler let out a pained scream._

Switching the tape off, Horatio grabbed his cell-phone off the counter and dialled a number, "This is Horatio," he said into the phone. "...Tripp, I need you to go to Stetler's hospital room..."

* * *

Trying to keep himself from shaking, Ryan numbly followed Alexx down the hall of the Intensive Care floor where Emily had been moved for the duration of her stay.

It was late afternoon and Alexx had come to Julliet's room and said that Emily had been examined, treated and was now in her own room. She had not gone into detail about Emily's condition, but Ryan was so happy to know that she was alive that he didn't ask.

Rosa had agreed to stay with Julliet so that Ryan could have some time to visit with his sister and explain things to her in a calm fashion. Alexx had offered to take him to Emily's room.

Eric had taken the evidence and Marisol back to the lab. Since Tripp didn't feel right about leaving Rosa and Julliet unguarded, Tim had offered to go and talk to Stetler about the evidence.

Ryan swallowed hard as Alexx stopped in front of a door to a patient room and knocked.

There was silence and then the door opened a crack. Alexx gently pushed the door open a bit.

Taking great care to be quiet, Ryan entered the room and saw a nurse hovering next to the bed where Emily lay asleep with a hospital gown, blankets and IV lines covering her body. There was a monitor beside the bed.

Seeing oxygen tubes in his sister's nose, the IV's, the monitor, and the blankets covering her body made Ryan freeze in his tracks. Alexx placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Nodding, Ryan moved over to the bedside, "Emily?" he said in a quiet, but clear voice.

Emily opened her eyes and was surprised, but happy to see Ryan, "Hey bro," she whispered, her voice tired. "How are you doing?"

"Emily, I have something really important to tell you," Ryan said, anxiety in his voice. "A few days ago, I found Julliet in a basket on my doorstep…she was injured, but definitely alive."

Letting out a deep sigh, Emily's eyes widened, "Where is she now?" she asked, her voice weak.

"She's here, Rosa Speedle's looking after her and Detective Tripp is guarding the room," Ryan replied softly. "Before you ask, I don't know where James is….there's been no sign of him…."

While Ryan continued to talk, Emily grasped his hand in a weak grip. As she listened, Emily felt herself having a little bit of hope in her heart; at least one of her beautiful children was alive...Ryan was also safe, which was comforting to her.

* * *

Calliegh placed the gun that Horatio had taken from Stetler's desk on the counter.

Blinking, she placed a bullet under one scope while the bullet pulled from Jessi Turner sat under another scope. Horatio had requested a comparison of the bullets right away.

It only took a minute to compare the bullets. However, they were identical in appearance.

Biting her lip, Calliegh took photos of the bullets and left to find Horatio. Since the bullets were identical, they came from the same gun; the gun that had been found in Stetler's desk.

Irritated about the way the day was turning out, Tim entered Stetler's hospital room and was very surprised to see an orderly stripping the bed and placing clean sheets on it.

"Excuse me, what happened to Rick Stetler?" Tim asked in a concerned tone. "From what I heard, he was escorted to this room last night after the hospital was locked down…"

The orderly shrugged, "Around nine this morning, he demanded his clothes and left the hospital AMA," he explained. "He had a gun and said that if anyone tried to stop him…."

Swearing silently, Tim nodded and quickly left the room. He needed to get a hold of Horatio.

* * *

The elevator dinged and Eric and Marisol stepped off the elevator just in time to see Horatio coming down the hallway towards them. He looked anxious about something.

"H, I'd like you to meet my sister, Marisol," Eric said. "I brought her here to talk to you."

Horatio nodded, "Lieutenant Caine, before Emily went to work at that club, she bought some drugs for me and brought them over," Marisol explained, fear in her voice. "I could barely get to the door, I was so sick…She was helping me…I don't want her to get in trouble…"

Before Horatio could reply, Calliegh came up to them, "Horatio, the bullet pulled from Jessi Morgan and bullets from the gun you found in Stetler's desk are identical," she said.

Horatio's cell-phone suddenly vibrated and he answered it, "This is Horatio," he said into the phone. "…..Are you kidding me, Speed? When did he leave the hospital?"

There was silence for a few more minutes and Horatio nodded, "All right," he said. "…Stay at the hospital and help Tripp keep everyone safe over there….Arrest him if he comes back there."

Horatio hung up with a frown on his face, "Stetler left the hospital this morning," he stated grimly. "He's loose in Miami."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a seedier part of town, Stetler stormed into the empty warehouse and was shocked to find that Clavo was mourning over a dead Ramon. Bernard was nowhere to be found.

Not only was Ramon dead, but Ray Caine had escaped and had rescued Emily Wolfe.

"You're the biggest moron in the world, Clavo," Stetler snapped. "How could you let this happen?"

Clavo glared at Stetler, "Hey, man, I was helping Bernie today," he snapped, tears running down his face. "I didn't think that Ray was gonna kill Ramon, rescue Emily, and escape."

"I could kidnap Ray's wife and demon spawn for torture," Stetler snapped in a suggestive tone.

There was silence and a sudden low growl, "You, Ricky, will do nothing else for now," a menacing voice replied as Bernard came out of the shadows with an infuriated look on his face.

Stetler gaped at Bernard, "I just heard over the wire that you're being charged with a murder, kidnapping, and rape," Bernard replied, amusement in his voice. "I can keep you from jail…"

Stetler said nothing, so Bernard continued, "Use job stress as an excuse why you took aggression out on a prisoner," he explained. "Blame it on the whole thing that happened with Emily and her OCD brother years ago…say that seeing Emily and Ryan triggered a breakdown…."

"That'll get me life in a mental hospital, though," Stetler protested. "I don't WANT that."

Bernard shook his head, "We'll prepare you and then in 48 hours, Doctor Savarrio will take you to the MDPD and say that you suffered a nervous breakdown," he said in a cunning tone. "You'll probably be given a little jail time until a competency hearing…After you're found incompetent for a trial, however, Doctor Savarrio can 'help' you and get you released back into the community."

"I still want to nail Emily and Ryan Wolfe for that murder they were involved in years ago!" Stetler hissed, fury in his eyes. "I don't believe for a moment that it happened the way they said!"

Bernard nodded, "It will be taken care of in time," he replied. "For now, however…."

"Fine, we'll do it your way," Stetler snapped. "Why can't I just be beaten up, though? I could say that I was a hostage of Ramon and I killed him in self defense…"

Rolling his eyes, Bernard sighed, "You really want to be beaten up and go back IN the hospital?" he asked in an unamused tone. "You'll end up in the hospital jail ward…"

"Anything is better than being stuck in a mental hospital," Stetler snapped. "Your plan sucks."

Biting his lip, Bernard sighed, "Go back to the MDPD then and turn yourself in," he replied in a defeated tone. "Doctor Savarrio works at the prison you'll most likely end up at…I'll keep an ear open concerning your trial and send further instructions through him….Just get out."

"In the meantime, I'll look for Ray Caine," Clavo said. "I have immunity in this country, so I can make contact with my associates and maybe bring him out of hiding."

Stetler hissed, "I am NOT taking the rap for Jessi Turner's murder!" he shouted.

"Too late, Ricky," Bernard snapped as he pulled a gun from his pants pocket and pointed it straight at Stetler's heart. "Clavo planted the gun in your desk….You're guilty…"

Horror seeped through Stetler's heart; he'd been screwed and now he had to pay for it.

"What, you think I screwed you?" Bernard asked, shock in his voice. "Ray arranged it…him and Horatio have always been looking to bring you down…I bet the Wolfes are in on it too."

Bernard handed the gun to Stetler, "If you go to prison, Horatio Caine will make sure you end up dead or worse," he said. "My way is better….but you have your freedom to choose."

Stuffing the gun in his pocket, Stetler marched from the room. Clavo fought the urge to laugh.

Bernard grinned: Stetler would go to jail and he wouldn't be implicated at all. He placed the blame on Ray and Horatio Caine to get Stetler's mind racing and possibly thinking irrationally.

However, even though Stetler had to pay now, payback would someday come in full force and Bernard knew that; when Stetler was free, Bernard would help him administer the payback.

* * *

As the sun set, Horatio stepped out of his office and saw Stetler coming down the hallway with a gun in his hands aimed to shoot anyone who so much as looked at him wrong.

He was alone; Eric had since taken Marisol home and was staying the night with her.

Horatio didn't waste a moment; he took his own gun out of his holster and aimed it at Stetler.

"Do it, I dare you," Stetler said, resting his finger on the trigger. "I dare you to kill me, Horatio…"

Stetler grinned at Horatio's hesitation, "I know what you found when you searched my house and office," he said, his voice full of malice. "Well, I'll tell you what….Ryan's sister was nice to play with…I only wish I had more time with her, you know?"

"What I don't understand is what possible reason you had to do that," Horatio said, keeping his gun aimed at Horatio. "I really don't understand your whole reasoning behind everything you've done…I watched the security tapes…you're a sick monster."

Stetler shrugged and aimed his gun towards one of the glass walls. He fired, causing the glass to shatter.

"I did it all because of the past, Horatio," Rick said in a monotone voice. "The past is so haunting."

Again, Stetler cocked the gun, "It's a shame, Horatio," he said. "I'm going to have to destroy the past, one person at a time…It's a long list, but I guarantee you….I'll get everyone that's hurt me in the past…It'll just take me some time…you're up.."

Suddenly, there was a shot fired which caused Stetler to drop his gun. Horatio saw Stetler grab his shoulder.

As Stetler gasped in pain, Tim walked forward with his gun raised and an angry look on his face.

"I helped Tripp and my mom move Julliet into Emily's room," Tim explained as he walked over and picked up Stetler's gun from the floor with a gloved hand. "She was asleep when I was there, so I just let my mom keep an eye on both of them...Tripp's planted himself outside of their hospital room...I just had this feeling that I was needed here…so I came back as fast as I could."

Horatio nodded and watched Tim holster his gun, "Nice work, Speed," he replied. "I assume you cleaned your gun?"

"I had to do something when I was trapped in Emily's office last night," Tim said. "Ryan and I both cleaned our guns while my mom held Julliet…I hope Emily doesn't mind that we used her desk to do it…we made a bit of a mess.."

Fighting the urge to smile, Horatio pulled handcuffs from his belt and secured Stetler's hands behind his back with them, "Speed, take that gun to Calliegh while I go down to Processing," he said. "Rick Stetler, you're under arrest."

Gritting his teeth, Stetler glared at Speed as Horatio led him off down the hallway towards the elevators.

Relieved that one more scum was off the street at least temporarily, Tim smiled and walked off towards Ballistics with the gun.

Hopefully, Stetler was guilty of at least one thing and innocent victims could rest and feel safe…at least for tonight.


	13. Conspiracies To Harm and Rescue

As the sun set, Emily lay asleep in bed while across the room, Julliet lay asleep in a small crib-like bed that had been brought into the room. The room was quiet, as Rosa and Ryan had just left to get a late supper from the cafeteria, as Rosa had insisted that Ryan keep his own strength up.

Tripp was still outside the door, fully alert and ready to act in case any trouble cropped up.

A large glass of apple juice and a bottle sat on the portable table untouched, proof that a nurse had been there and left again. Both mother and daughter were exhausted from recent events.

Suddenly, the phone began to ring. Blinking herself awake, Emily woke and reached for it.

"Hello?" Emily said in a tired voice as she lifted the reciever to her ear with a shaking hand.

Without warning, loud gunshots sounded from the other end, causing Julliet to wake and begin screaming loudly. As Frank opened the door with his gun raised, Emily dropped the reciever, lifted her shaking body out of bed and moved over to her screaming daughter. Tears were running down her face as she gently scooped Julliet out of the crib and began to shush her.

Keeping his weapon drawn, Tripp moved over to the reciever and picked it up, "...Stetler was just a pawn, I'm still out here and free to bring terror to you, my sweet," a deep voice hissed. "Your son is still in my grasp and fighting for his life...Do you want to hear him cry for his mommy?"

Emily gently set Julliet back in the bed and retreated into the bathroom, her body shaking violently.

Fortunately, Julliet had stopped crying and was now back asleep, thanks to her loving mother.

A baby's cry sounded out over the phone, "See, he's still alive for now," the dark voice said. "I'm not sure what to do with the kid yet...Maybe Ryan would have an idea...should I ask him?"

There was silence for a moment and then Tripp could hear retching sounds, "Who is this?" he snapped, ice in his tone. "How did you get a hold of this number?"

Manic laughter sounded out and then there was a click. Tripp slammed the receiver down.

Having heard the noise, a nurse hurried into the room, "Miss Wolfe is in the bathroom," Frank replied concern in his voice as he reached for his cell-phone. "I'm phoning the MDPD right now."

The nurse hurried into the bathroom and saw Emily huddled in the corner of the bathroom.

From her position on the floor, Emily's vision began to blur and she slipped into blackness.

* * *

After taking Marisol back to her house, Eric had wanted to stay the night at her house but he had gotten a phone call from the MDPD that Stetler wanted to talk with him.

Very reluctant to leave his sister, Eric had made Marisol comfortable and then traveled to the MDPD in a cab. He was now waiting outside the cellblock where Stetler was being held.

"Officer Delko, follow me," a uniformed officer said as the door to the cell-block was suddenly opened. "The prisoner is anxious to speak with you."

Gritting his teeth, Eric followed the uniformed officer into the cellblock and it didn't take long for them to reach Stetler's cell. Stetler was sitting on his cot in an orange jumpsuit.

The uniformed officer knocked on the glass. Stetler rose and came over to the bars.

"Delko, I was screwed," Stetler snapped. "Do you want information on Emily's captors?"

Eric raised an eyebrow, "You think that telling me who kidnapped Emily will get you off charges of sexual assault and being an accomplice to kidnapping?" he snapped, looking angry.

"Honestly, Delko, it's not like I'm the only one keeping secrets," Stetler stated, an exasperated sigh in his voice. "I know I'm headed to prison...I can tell you who kidnapped her."

Eric was silent for a moment, "Do you know a Clavo Cruz?" Stetler asked, curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah, Horatio says that he has diplomatic immunity," Eric replied. "Did Clavo take her?"

Stetler shook his head, "Clavo's just a moron who's working under the thumb of her ex-husband," he stated. "Her ex-husband has connections all over the world...you won't catch him."

"How did you get involved with this anyway?" Eric asked, confused as to how Stetler of all people got involved in this and ended up arrested with heavy charges pending.

Biting his lip, Stetler shrugged and moved away from the bars back over to his skimpy cot.

Bernard had told him to keep quiet, but Stetler was so sick of Clavo that he couldn't keep quiet.

"Do you want to tell me who Emily's ex-husband is?" Eric asked, raising an eyebrow.

Stetler remained silent and looked at the floor. He had a stony expression on his face.

Scoffing, Eric walked out of the cell. He would find out the information he wanted through the computer, as Emily's DNA had been put into the computer back when she was taken.

It was curious, however, that Stetler refused to co-operate, even when he was facing jail time.

* * *

While a janitor cleaned up the glass from the shattered window, Horatio sighed and watched as Speed returned from the Ballistics Lab with a cell-phone in his hand. He looked less than happy.

"Tripp just phoned from the hospital," Tim said, a dark tone in his voice. "Apparently, my mom and Ryan were up in the cafeteria getting a late supper while Emily and Julliet were sleeping in the room...Emily was woken by a phone call that sent her into a massive panic attack."

Horatio frowned, "A panic attack?" he asked. "What was said during that phone call?"

"Tripp wouldn't say over the phone," Tim replied. "Not long after the doctor arrived, my mom and Ryan came back to find him talking to a uniformed officer while a doctor was trying to stabilize Emily...Tripp couldn't stay on the phone long...It's a mess, H..he said to send someone..."

Horatio nodded, "Speed, let's both go down there," he stated. "I need to talk to Emily anyway and I believe you can prove helpful to Mr. Wolfe...Shall we?"

Even though he was confused as to how he of all people could be helpful to Ryan, Tim nodded and the two walked down the hallway towards the elevator. It had been a long day.

* * *

Under the freeway, Ray Caine lingered against a concrete pillar in silence and waited. His contact was late and this had to be taken care of before sunrise.

The clicking of high heels came to his attention and he saw the shape of a woman approaching him in the darkness. Seeing who it was, Ray smiled and crossed his arms expectantly.

"Natalia, are you alone?" Ray asked, giving a solemn smile to the woman.

Natalia Boa Vista nodded, "I got your coded text message about Emily," she replied, her voice a whisper. "You say that her ex-husband found out where she lived because of a corrupt cop?"

"Yes, that same corrupt cop was responsible for me being held prisoner by the Cruz brothers for the last six months," Ray hissed. "Anyway, I knew who it was the minute I saw her face, but couldn't let on...I put her where she would be safe and left...I heard she's safe now, though."

Natalia nodded, "I know some nurses at one of the hospitals and they say she's safe and sharing a hospital room with her daughter," she stated. "I've been keeping a watch on her apartment..it's not safe for her and her daughter to go back there once they're released..."

"I know it's not safe and I've arranged a new place for them," Ray said, taking a small envelope out of his jacket pocket with his gloved hand. "Make sure that Emily gets that...it's for her and Julliet...I will find Ryan myself and talk with him….How is your work coming along?

Natalia took the envelope with a gloved hand and tucked it under the arm of her jacket, "I'm working on applying to the Miami-Dade Crime Lab to keep an eye on Ryan and the rest of the CSI's," she said. "Bernard Marquez is one of the worst abusers in the whole country and he has international connections that could prove problematic for the CSI's..."

"Ah, Natalia, speaking of international connections, I have something to confess," Ray said, his tone slightly sheepish. "I ended up shooting Ramon Cruz when I freed Emily from the warehouse...I thought he was dead, but I doubt a Cruz would die that easily..."

Natalia scoffed, "Were you wearing gloves?" she asked, irritation in her tone.

"Yes, I was wearing gloves," Ray replied. "I'm just worried that Clavo will try and pin this back on Emily...Ramon and Bernard had some time with her...I stood on the crappy mattress in my cell and saw them...She was injected with something that made her act strange...probably a hallucinogen."

Natalia sighed, "I could hear them talking," Ray continued. "She thought she was 19 again and at a college party...Ramon was taping the whole thing...the CSI's probably have the tape by now."

Fighting the urge to vomit, Natalia nodded, "I need you to tell me everything you saw," she said.

Ray nodded and took a deep breath. Talking about it was hard, but he had to do it...for Emily.

* * *

The clock struck one and rest wasn't even on the agenda...pure survival was.

Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, Ryan sat at his sister's bedside and gently held her right hand. Emily lay in bed with a hospital housecoat over a fresh gown and hospital slippers on her feet. Two blankets covered her body; one from the waist down and one from the chest down while her hair, although unwashed, had been pulled away from her face with a loose headband.

Her left hand contained the IV lines and the pulse-ox clip and was resting on her gown, just below the electrodes that were all over her chest, giving signals to a heart monitor that was next to where Ryan sat. There was also a mask on her face, providing her body with lots of oxygen.

Rosa stood behind Ryan with a reassuring hand on his shoulder to keep him in his seat.

A nurse lingered next to the crib-bed where Julliet lay sound asleep, unaware of any problems.

Tripp lingered by the open door, keeping one eye on the room and one eye on the hallway.

The phone had been unplugged, as any more phone calls could cause further trouble.

Alexx had been called to deal with the situation and lingered in the hall, as she didn't want anyone to see her crying for the poor woman who lay in that bed. She had almost lost Emily tonight.

Suddenly hearing some soft talking, Tripp turned and was surprised to see Horatio and Tim coming down the hallway with grim expressions on their faces. Alexx gasped at seeing them.

"Tripp called and said that there had been a threatening phone call," Tripp heard Horatio say to Alexx in a hushed voice as he peered into the room. "How is Emily doing now?"

Alexx sighed, "I'm thankful that she's still alive," she explained softly. "Emily had a withdrawal seizure on the bathroom floor...Tripp said she threw up right before it.."

"Did you get any blood?" Horatio asked, concerned. "Did you run any blood tests?"

Alexx nodded, "Right after she was stabilized," she replied, extending a chart to him.

"Oh man, there were some drugs in her system that initial tests didn't catch," Tim commented, peering over Horatio's shoulder at the chart. "Triazolam, diazepam, and halcion gas..."

Before Horatio could comment, however, a small groan emitted from the mask, "Emily?" Horatio saw Ryan say as Emily's hand weakly twitched in his. "Emily, are you waking up?"

Horatio exchanged a look with Tim and both men moved into the room, "Ryan?" Emily's weak voice asked as she slowly opened her eyes and saw Ryan sitting there. "What happened?"

Ryan looked hesitant, but Emily gave his hand a firm squeeze, "Ryan, tell me," she said, her tone both gentle and tired as she moved the mask away from her pale face. "I've been through a lot...I can handle whatever you're going to say...Just tell me the truth and it'll be okay."

"Miss Wolfe, I think right now you should get some rest," Horatio interjected as he moved over to the bed. "You've survived a terrible ordeal...When you're feeling more up to hearing it…."

Emily sighed, "Lieutenant Caine, I've survived a lot worse than this," she gently stated. "However, your concern does have some merit...Besides, I'm beginning to feel tired again..."

With a tired sigh, Emily closed her eyes and was instantly asleep. Horatio looked at Ryan.

"Mr. Wolfe, you can't possibly spend another night here," Horatio stated.

Ryan rose from the seat and moved over towards the door, all the while refusing to meet anyone's gaze, "I'll go check out a shelter or something," he murmured. "If you'll excuse me..."

"Woah there, cowboy, where do you think you're going?" Tripp said, blocking the door.

Suddenly tensing up, Ryan shoved Tripp out of the way and fled from the room.

Tim gave Horatio a concerned look, "Speed, go after him," Horatio ordered. "Mrs. Speedle, could I possibly talk to you in private? Alexx, you and Frank stay here...keep an eye on things."

"Be careful, Tim," Rosa said as she moved over to where Horatio was standing.

Tim nodded and silently left the room. Horatio looked at Frank and Alexx.

"Anything else happens, call me," Horatio ordered before leaving the room with Rosa.

Alexx nodded and began to recheck Emily while Tripp remained at the door. Both were confused and concerned by Ryan's sudden outburst, as it was out of character for him.

* * *

"I can't believe you thought that Ray Caine could kill me," Ramon hissed, wincing as Dr. Savarrio extracted a bullet from his arm with foreceps and placed it in a bedpan. "OW, go easy with that thing!"

Clavo rolled his eyes and sat at on the stool beside the exam table where Ramon lay shirtless with bleeding bullet holes in his arm and side. The bullet from the side had been extracted and the wound patched.

Bernard had gone into hiding, Stetler was in jail, and Ramon had survived…much to Clavo's shock.

"Do not tell Ricky I am alive," Ramon hissed as Dr. Savarrio began patching his wound. "He's useless."

Clavo sighed and crossed his arms, "You should really have some pain meds," he commented. "Why didn't you let Doctor Savarrio put you under before he removed the bullets?"

"I almost died because of Ray Caine," Ramon hissed. "I didn't want to spend more time unconscious."

Dr. Savarrio scoffed, "At least you'll live," he replied. "Do you want me to contact your father? He should know about this and be given the option of pressing charges…"

"Against who exactly?" Ramon snapped. "Ray Caine is considered dead….I was drunk…."

Clavo thought for a minute, "Yes, but Emily Wolfe was a witness to the shooting, wasn't she?" he said, amusement in his voice. "I could tell my father that Emily did it…he'll believe me and want her arrested."

"Oh, please, there's proof that she didn't do it," Ramon hissed. "She's not going to be arrested for that."

Clavo clicked his teeth, "Yeah, but I think we can use what Ricky knows about Emily to help us out…a lot...Somebody needs to go talk to Ricky as soon as possible."

* * *

Looking around to ensure that nobody was following him, Ryan gripped the case that contained special cleaning supplies and quietly entered the cemetery. He had gotten the supplies from a 24 hour store and the receipt was hidden away in his jacket pocket. The cold of the night made him shiver.

The tsunami had done a number on the cemetery, but luckily, what he wanted hadn't been disturbed.

Taking a deep breath, Ryan opened the case and began to carefully clean a tombstone of the filth that the tsunami had thrown on it. Luckily for him, it was dark and he could do his work in peace.

It would take hours to get the tombstone perfectly clean because of his OCD, but he had the time.

Suddenly, Ryan felt himself being held in a chokehold. He began to feel drowsy very quickly.

As Ryan slumped to the ground unconscious, a shadowed figure reached down and tucked a large manila envelope into his jacket. He also pulled Ryan's gun out of its holster and emptied it, taking the bullets into his pockets.

Flexing his gloved fingers, Ray put Ryan's gun back in Ryan's holster and fled silently into the night. Now Ryan wouldn't be tempted to act on impulse and do something he'd regret later.

* * *

As Alexx moved out of the room to update Emily's chart at the admissions desk, Natalia crept up to the door and frowned when she saw a blonde woman taking pictures of Emily and Julliet as they slept.

"What do you think you are doing?" Natalia snapped as she strode into the room and blocked the camera from Emily. "This woman has been through enough!"

Erica Sikes smirked, "What I'm doing is getting a story that will appeal to the public," she snapped. "A single mom and two of her children go missing and then two out of three are found alive…touching."

Infuriated, Natalia snatched the camera out of her hands and threw it towards the floor, where it broke.

"Now GET OUT before I call the police," Natalia snapped, fire in her eyes. "Don't come here again."

Glaring daggers at Natalia, Erica nodded and stalked out of the room. She didn't look back.

"Emily, I need you to wake up," Natalia whispered, gently shaking Emily's arm.

Emily opened her eyes, "Natalia, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice tired. "Is everything okay?"

"I need to get you and Julliet out of here now," Natalia whispered in an urgent tone. "Ray gave me the resources to help you to where you'll both be safe…I'll help you with Julliet…Can you walk?"

Even though she wasn't feeling completely well, Emily nodded and slowly got out of her hospital bed. She was ill, yes, but Natalia held the key to helping her and Julliet to safety.

* * *

Exhausted from being on his bike for hours, Tim spotted a CSI Hummer parked near a cemetery.

Frowning, Tim drove over to the cemetery and parked the bike next to the hummer. He got off the bike and walked into the cemetery, wondering who from the CSI team was at a cemetery and why at that time.

The sun was beginning to rise and the light caused something in the corner of the cemetery to catch Tim's eye; a human-sized form was on the ground near a tombstone, as well as what looked like cleaning supplies.

Wondering why someone would have a CSI vehicle, cleaning supplies, and be unconscious near a tombstone at sunrise, Tim put on a pair of rubber gloves and walked in the direction of the body.

As he reached the body, Tim reached down and gently turned the body over. His jaw dropped in shock.

Ryan was unconscious with dirt on his face and shirt collar, just below a large bruise on his neck. There were rubber gloves on his hands and a soapy rag in his hand. Something was tucked into his jacket and his gun holster was open.

Tim knelt down and checked for a pulse; it was a weak pulse, but Ryan was still alive.

After quickly requesting EMS to the cemetery on his phone, Tim began administering CPR in hopes that Ryan would wake on his own. He was at a loss for who would want to harm the younger CSI.


	14. Within A Moment's Notice

Taking a seat at Stetler's laptop, Eric typed Emily's name into the search database and waited.

Next to him, Calliegh caressed Eric's arm, "It's all over the department by now about Stetler," she said, her tone somber. "What are you doing on Stetler's laptop again?"

"Stetler said something about Clavo Cruz and Emily's ex-husband both being involved in her abduction and torture," Eric explained as information appeared on the screen. "According to this, Emily married a man named Bernard Marquez in California and they divorced only a year later."

Calliegh frowned, "Does it list the reason why they divorced?" she asked in a curious tone.

"No, it lists irreconcilable differences," Eric said as he pulled up another database. "I'm going to see if this Bernard Marquez has any sort of criminal history and connection with Clavo Cruz."

There was silence as Eric entered Bernard's name into the database and waited.

Without warning, a large screen of detailed information and photos appeared on the screen.

"Woah," Callieigh whispered, her eyes wide with shock as she and Eric studied the information.

They needed to talk to Horatio as soon as he came back to the lab. All could depend on that conversation, as some previously concealed information had just come to light.

* * *

_"Mr. Wolfe?...Check him again, I think Mr. Wolfe is slowly waking up...Speed?"_

_"Looks like he was trying to clean this tombstone...it's still too dirty to read the name of it..."_

As his senses slowly returned, Ryan realized that he was laying on his side with a rough blanket covering his body. Through his blurry vision, he could see dark clothes and EMS uniforms.

Blinking, Ryan reopened his eyes to see a paramedic hovering in front of his face and beyond that, he could see Tim and Horatio lingering at the tombstone, near the cleaning supplies.

_Why am I on the ground on my side? What are Horatio, Tim, and a paramedic doing here? _Ryan wondered, as he had no idea what he was doing there or why he was on the ground.

"Lieutenant Caine, he's awake," the paramedic reported, noting the pure confusion in Ryan's face and eyes, as if he didn't know where he was. "Possible hypoxia...My partner's getting some supplies and a gurney from the ambulance...We're taking him to Dade-Memorial."

Horatio frowned and moved over to Ryan, "Mr. Wolfe, what happened?" he asked, peering at the downed CSI over the tip of his sunglasses. "Do you know how you got here?"

Not wanting to tell anyone why he had been at the cemetery, Ryan let out a small sigh, "No, I don't know how I got here," he lied, faking a faint voice so that Horatio would leave him alone.

Tim held up an envelope, "H, this was in Ryan's jacket," he said, offering the envelope to Horatio.

"Mr. Wolfe, do you recognize this envelope?" Horatio asked as he put some gloves on and took the envelope, only to find it empty. "Why would someone leave you an empty envelope?"

Ryan shook his head just as the other EMT returned with a supply kit, a board, and a gurney, "All right, a trauma team is on standby at Dade-Memorial," the EMT reported. "Let's load him up."

"All right, Mr. Wolfe, I'm gonna start a little IV," an EMT, who had put sunglasses on his face upon returning to the rig for supplies, said. "Just lie there and my partner will secure you, all right?"

Ryan was silent as a backboard was slid under him. Suddenly, Horatio's cell phone rang.

Horatio turned away and promptly got his cell-phone out of his pocket, "Horatio," he said, unaware that the phone call would reveal some disturbing news.

* * *

At Miami-Dade Memorial, Alexx fought to keep back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes as she and Tripp gazed at the empty bed and the handwritten note that had been left behind. An empty basinette was near the bed and all of the IV's were in it, signs of patients on the run.

The note was on the mattress, along with Emily's gown and a couple of IV lines; the note read:

_To anyone who reads this:_

_Thank you for helping me and my daughter. We'll never forget your kindness._

_Julliet and I have gone underground for our own safety. All our needs will be met._

_Don't try and look for me. Just know that Julliet and I are being cared for._

_Emily Wolfe_

"...What do you mean Ryan was found unconscious at a cemetery this morning?" Alexx suddenly snapped, as Horatio's voice explained the situation to her. "...Is he all right?"

Tripp's head snapped up from the note, "...Okay, since they just left, EMS should be here within half an hour," Alexx said, her voice anxious. "...All right, I'll be waiting...Bye."

Alexx put her cell phone away, "So, Wolfe was found unconscious at a cemetery this morning?" Tripp asked, confusion in his voice. "Any idea why he was at a cemetery of all places?"

Shaking her head, Alexx gazed at the empty bed and basinette with sorrow in her eyes.

* * *

Tiredness caused Emily's body to shake as she followed Natalia into a large, condo-like apartment while holding Julliet on her shoulder. The sweatshirt and jeans that they had gotten from the apartment, as well as the sleeper for Julliet, helped to keep them warm.

In Natalia's hand was a small bag of photos and other personal items that they had gotten from Emily's apartment. The furniture and most of the clothes had been left there, as the condo was already furnished and Emily didn't want a lot to have to worry about anything else.

After leaving the old apartment, the two had traveled in a dark van to a condo-like apartment building that Natalia said was used to house women and children from bad domestic situations.

The condo was a decent size and had tan walls that were covered with decorative pictures and intricate wall hangings.

There was a soft couch, two soft chairs, a coffee table, and an empty bookshelf in the living room. A wall space to the right separated the kitchen from the front area and there were two doors to the left that were open and led to small bedrooms.

At the other end of the living room, there was a giant window that was covered by a tan curtain and when opened, a good view of the rest of the neighborhood could be seen.

As Natalia closed the door, Emily carried Julliet over to where a crib-bed had been set up and set her down. Julliet was wide-eyed for a moment and then promptly fell asleep with a smile.

"You and Julliet will be safe here," Natalia stated, smiling as Emily watched Julliet sleep. "There's an envelope full of money and a credit card in the backpack...just in case...Ray made sure that there was enough food in the fridge to get you both through the next day or two..."

Emily nodded and looked up at Natalia, "I really appreciate all the trouble that you and Ray went to to provide help," she said, her voice tired as she moved over to the couch. "I'm sorry...I'm tired."

Natalia moved over to the couch and helped Emily sit, "By all rights, you should still be in the hospital," she replied, taking a seat next to her friend. "It just wasn't safe there anymore."

"I know, it wasn't safe to stay," Emily whispered. "Ever since Stetler saw me at that shooting range with Detective Tripp during my practical training, it's never been safe for me...He told Bernard where I was and Bernard came after me...it was the second time he almost killed me."

Overwhelmed, Emily put her hands over her face and began to cry softly, "H-He took James and Julliet," she sobbed. "Now that Julliet and I are in hiding...he'll go after Ryan...It'll be my fault..."

Natalia gently put an arm around Emily's shoulder, "It's not your fault that bad things keep happening to you," she said, her voice gentle. "You are not at fault...okay?"

Emily nodded and continued to cry. Natalia sighed and silently sat there, consoling her friend.

"You don't have to worry about Ryan right now," Natalia softly replied. "For now, just have a good cry."

* * *

Ignoring the pain that was radiating from his bruised neck, Ryan sat up and gazed at the IV that was embedded in his hand. In his other hand, there was a note about Emily written by Ray.

The note itself was written in a code that would make it next to impossible for any normal CSI to decode without a lot of effort. However, Ryan wasn't just a normal CSI...he was extraordinary.

However, even though he was an extraordinary CSI, Ryan knew that he was also very tired and needed rest.

Not at the hospital, though….He would go somewhere, anywhere, private and close his eyes for a moment.

Since Alexx had told him that Emily and Julliet had left together, Ryan knew that he didn't have to protect them for at least a little while. Most likely, the underground railroad had rescued them.

He knew how the system worked; if a woman was in a bad domestic situation, whether or not she had a child, someone from the railroad would remove the victims from the situation and relocate them somewhere safe. Relatives deemed as "safe contacts" would be notified any time after the relocation had taken place.

As Emily's number one safe contact, Ryan figured that he would get a call in the next few days.

Once he had been notified of Emily's location, Ryan knew that he would need to take an LOA from the Crime Lab and make up some excuse to appease Horatio's curiosity. He would then go to the location and take care of his family.

At the moment, though, Ryan felt like he didn't have the strength to move, let alone walk out of here.

Horatio, Speedle, Alexx, and Speedle's mom were in the hallway…deciding what to do with him.

Tripp was lingering in the corner, watching him with a frown on his face and concern in his eyes.

The note had been read carefully, but nobody could make sense of it so Horatio let Ryan keep it.

Horatio had confiscated his gun, however, and was going to take it back to the lab for analysis.

"Wolfe, maybe you should lie down and rest," Tripp said. "You've had a rough morning…"

Ryan lowered his head, but remained upright. Rough was definitely an understatement of his life.

* * *

Stetler's expression was unreadable as a prison guard led him into the prison infirmary for his initial exam.

Being escorted from the cell block had been absolutely humiliating; all eyes had been on him.

The ride to the prison had been quiet, fortunately. It gave Stetler time to think about his future.

His career with the MDPD was most likely over, but the trial would determine the duration of his stay.

Delko had been no help and the Cruz brothers had pretty much abandoned him to suffer alone. Bernard had disappeared without a trace into the criminal underworld.

The sound of the door opening caused Stetler to look up just in time to see Dr. Savarrio come out of the back area with an empty chart in his hands, "I can take it from here if you'll just wait outside," Dr. Savarrio told the guard. "If there's any trouble, I'll come get you right away."

Very reluctantly, the guard nodded and left the room, "The guards here are so stupid," Dr. Savarrio said, keeping his voice low. "Anyway, I have a way for you to escape and get your revenge…if you want it."

"Of COURSE I want to get out of here," Stetler hissed. "This place is so heavily guarded and it's ABSOLUTELY embarrassing being in this craphole…. I was the head of IAB for crying out loud…now I'm a jailbird."

Dr. Savarrio smiled cunningly, "Then I suggest you be patient, Rick," he replied. "You'll have to suck it up and hang out in prison for a while, but I do have a plan….I want you to make a friend of one of the other prisoners."

"Are you on something, Savarrio?" Stetler scoffed in disbelief. "Nobody here will want to make friends with ME."

Smiling, Dr. Savarrio patted Stetler on the arm, "Come with me, Rick," he said. "Time for your medical exam."

Stetler glared at the doctor, but was silent as he was led into the exam area. Right away, he saw another man in an orange jumpsuit sitting in one of the chairs. There was an almost serene, yet slightly manic look on his face.

"Rick Stetler, meet Stewart Otis," Dr. Savarrio said as he moved over to a medical cupboard to get supplies. "It'll take me a few minutes to get some supplies together, so why don't you two have a chat?"

Stetler gazed at Stuart; from what he had heard, this man was a child molester, however…it would be good to have a friend in prison. Maybe, even though it was a terrible idea, this man could help him regain his lost freedom.

Perhaps Stewart would be the key to executing revenge….However, what would be the price of this shaky friendship? Was it truly worth it to sell the fragments of his soul he had left?

* * *

Blinking tiredly, Ryan was silent as Tim got behind the wheel of the CSI Hummer and maneuvered out of the hospital parking lot, on to a residential street that would take longer to travel, yet it provided necessary quiet.

At Horatio's insistence, Ryan was now stuck under the supervision of Tim for the next few days and was not allowed to come to the lab for at least three days. Alexx had diagnosed him with overwork-induced stress and prescribed rest.

Rosa had gone home and Tripp, Alexx, and Horatio had all gone back to the lab, as there was work needing to be done.

Music was blaring in the Hummer and Tim was so focused on the road that he didn't notice Ryan reach for his phone.

Letting out a sigh, Ryan pulled the vibrating phone from his pocket. His eyes widened at the text message awaiting him. It was an anonymous phone number, which he recognized as the number for the underground railroad for abused women. The message was simple: it explained Emily and Julliet's location and a simple, safe route to get there.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Ryan noticed that the Humvee was approaching a red light…an opportunity.

Quietly unbuckling his seatbelt, Ryan waited until the Hummer rolled to a stop and then opened the door.

As the light changed, Tim glanced over in Ryan's direction to ask him a question, but Ryan was gone without a trace.

Pounding the dashboard, Tim swore and drove off as fast as he could towards the Crime Lab to tell Horatio. This entire situation was turning out to be very unusual and dangerous.

* * *

It didn't take very long for Ryan to find the apartment building on foot, even though he had to travel through side streets and alleyways so that he wouldn't be recognized by anyone. Those who knew him would tell Horatio and he would ensure that proper 'help' was provided to deal with the stress.

The building was silent as Ryan traveled up the stairs to the fourth floor and down a long hallway that was not pristine, but looked like it was being taken care of. Each apartment door was white and had a peephole and silver knob on it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ryan reached the right apartment and knocked softly on the door.

There was silence for a moment and then the door opened, "Ryan, I didn't think you'd be able to get away," Emily said as they embraced like a good brother and sister should. "I just got Julliet settled in her highchair for breakfast…"

Ryan nodded, "I've come to look after you and Julliet now," he said, a gentle, but firm tone in his voice. "I was cleaning Jenna's tombstone because of all the crap that the tsunami left on it…Anyway, I was being taken to rest at Tim Speedle's house and I sort of escaped from his CSI car….Anyway, nobody will miss me for a while….I'm off duty for three days and I'm gonna take an LOA too."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Emily smiled, released her brother and quietly escorting him inside to safety, she closed the door.

Just around the corner, Ray and Natalia had watched the entire exchange and smiled. For now, everything was just okay.

However, it was important to maintain a sense of heightened vigilance, as situations could change within a moment's notice.


	15. Failure of Safety Measures

Alarms blared and dogs barked at the Miami-Dade Corrections Facility as chaos broke loose.

After being kept quiet for weeks, an escape of two highly dangerous, influential prisoners was in progress and they were being helped from people on the outside.

While guards searched the cells and grounds, snipers took their place on the roof and waited for the opportunity to test their weapons out on those stupid enough to flee.

However, there had been subtle assistance from an insider...help from a certain prison doctor.

The entire prison was on lockdown and Horatio was on scene as an extra set of eyes.

Extra eyes wouldn't do any good, however, for the birds had already escaped into the wind and were now being transported through the Everglades on a speedboat towards a waiting van.

From behind the wheel, Bernard watched as the speedboat carrying an aggravated Stetler and Stewart Otis pulled up to the shore. Determined not to be seen, Bernard slouched in his seat.

A shot rang out and shocked that Stewart could be so callous and not display any emotion, Stetler followed his fellow escapee out of the water and over to the waiting van.

"I got a call from my New York associate earlier," Bernard stated as Stewart and Stetler quickly got into the van. "Apparently, you'll be getting some little girls to play with...some pretty little girls."

Stetler blanched, "Why would we want to do that?" he asked, his voice full of fear.

"Oh, please, Rick," Stewart scoffed emotionlessly. "I love little girls...don't you?"

Trying not to show how disgusted he was with the current situation, Stetler swallowed the vomit that threatened to erupt from his mouth. Fortunately, his silence was taken as a sign of approval.

The silence was interrupted briefly as Bernard began driving out of the Everglades, "Just as an update, Ramon went back to his Embassy to recover and General Cruz is very, very angry at Emily for her involvement...she may not have done it, but she saw who shot Ramon..."

"I bet it was Ray who did it," Stewart hissed in an icy tone. "Ray Caine's such an eyesore."

At the mention of Ray Caine being alive, Stetler's eyes widened, "Raymond Caine is actually alive?" he asked, pure shock in his voice. "I thought he was killed..."

Bernard guffawed, "Someone like Ray Caine couldn't be killed so easily," he replied. "I sent Clavo to kill one of Ray's DEA buddies to draw him out of hiding...diplomatic immunity is a sweet thing."

"Okay, so if Clavo is dealing with Ray, where exactly are we going to hide?" Stewart asked, a confused tone in his voice. "We're very wanted...I bet we're being searched for already..."

The van took a sharp turn down another road, "Relax, I have a house in the Keys that will serve as a good hiding place while you wait for the little girls to arrive," Bernard said in a cunning tone.

While Stewart grinned, Stetler swallowed some more vomit. What had he gotten himself into?

Unaware that Stetler was doubting his desire to stay involved in their little group, Bernard was thinking hard about the future; about how he wanted to stir up just a little more chaos...

* * *

Ignoring the looks he was getting from curious personnel over his sunglasses, LaRusso gently sheperded BJ, Maggie, and Adam through the apartment lobby.

The flight from New York had been quiet and it had been a good time to think about the future.

Since arriving several days ago, they had been staying in a hotel and had gone out looking around Miami to figure out where things were. They were supposed to be moving in that morning after meeting the manager to get keys. They had nothing but identification and the clothes on their backs.

There was silence as LaRusso escorted his kids through the hallway and finally stopped in front of a door that was labelled _Management_. He knocked on the door and waited.

Silence reigned and then the door creaked open. LaRusso frowned and moved into the office.

Horror washed over him as he saw a body that was slumped over the desk with a knife sticking out of it. Blood was all over the desk, floor, and the body. The office was also trashed and LaRusso could see something glinting in the middle of the room, something that looked like a badge.

"Kids, stay here, okay?" LaRusso said as he moved into the office towards the shiny item.

When he was close enough to see the item, LaRusso peered over his sunglasses down at the item; it looked like two police badges that had the NYPD insignia on them as well as badge numbers.

A sudden scream from the door caused LaRusso to turn around just in time to see a tall man lift a chair and bring it down on his head. Immediately, LaRusso crashed to the floor unconscious.

While LaRusso lay there unconscious, the man dropped the chair and moved over to where BJ, Maggie, and Adam lingered, "Well, well, a cute little girl for the taking," the man hissed.

BJ kicked the man hard, but the man slapped BJ even harder and grabbed Maggie's arm, "You're not exactly what Bernie had in mind, but you'll do since I don't know where Ray's hiding his tramp and their spawn...what's your name, little girl?" the man asked in a mocking tone.

Maggie didn't answer, as she was looking at where her father lay unconscious, "Is my daddy dead?" she asked, her voice full of fear. "Did you kill my daddy?"

"No, but if you don't come with me, I'll kill your daddy and your brothers," Clavo snapped.

BJ looked at Adam, "Go find a phone and call 9-1-1," he whispered. "Hurry up."

Adam nodded and scampered off before Clavo could stop him, causing Clavo to swear.

BJ grabbed Maggie and spat at Clavo, "Who do you think you are to mess with Clavo Cruz, kid?" Clavo snapped as the little boy pulled Maggie close to him.

BJ backed away with Maggie and Clavo was following them so closely that he didn't notice that LaRusso had regained consciousness and had pulled himself to his feet. Even though his head hurt, LaRusso had heard his kids and was now sneaking up behind Clavo.

As Clavo was about to corner the two kids into a wall, LaRusso grabbed Clavo in a headlock and yanked him back, "You touch my kids, you die," LaRusso hissed as he held Clavo tight.

LaRusso held Clavo for a few moments and then broke free, "This isn't over," Clavo hissed as she shoved LaRusso away and ran out of the building. "You better watch your back, LaRusso."

Ignoring the fact that his head was pounding, LaRusso moved back over to BJ and Maggie, "Where's Adam at?" he asked, concerned about his youngest son.

"I sent him to find a phone," BJ replied. "I told him to call 9-1-1."

LaRusso nodded and suddenly spotted Adam coming down a flight of stairs, "I couldn't find a phone and then I got really scared," Adam said in an apologetic tone.

BJ gazed around and spotted a fire alarm nearby, "I bet this'll get people's attention," he said as he moved over to the fire alarm.

"BJ, don't do it," LaRusso said, his tone urgent. "I want you all to come with me now...upstairs."

As BJ moved away from the alarm, Clavo returned welding a weapon, "I told you this wasn't over," he hissed as he raised the weapon. "I want your little girl..."

"Screw off," LaRusso snapped as he moved towards the stairs, pushing his kids ahead of him with his good arm. "Kids, let's go upstairs..."

Growling, Clavo shoved LaRusso aside and grabbing Maggie, he held the gun to her head.

"This one will be especially pleasing to Stewart," Clavo said as he dragged Maggie back.

Before LaRusso could move, Clavo fired at LaRusso, hitting him in the chest and sending him to the floor. Clavo then shot at the fire alarm, causing it to break and the alarm to go off. While the ceiling sprinklers activated, Clavo fled the building with Maggie, who was screaming.

"DAD!" BJ screamed as he dragged Adam over to where his father lay.

LaRusso grimaced and placed his good hand on his chest, "Call someone," he whispered.

While the sprinklers rained down on LaRusso, BJ grabbed Adam and ran back to the manager's office. He quickly dragged his little brother over to the phone and dialled 9-1-1.

* * *

Upstairs, Emily swore as the sprinklers went off in her and Ryan's apartment.

A laptop computer that was on a table that Emily was sitting at sparked and died.

The loudness of the alarm caused Julliet, who was sleeping in a playpen that Ryan had bought and placed in the corner of the front room, to wake up and begin screaming.

Forgetting the laptop, Emily jumped up and ran over to the playpen. She got Julliet and then, grabbing a bag that she had packed in case of an emergency, she left the apartment.

Hearing the sounds of other tenants leaving their apartments, Emily carried Julliet down the stairs and immediately saw a man sitting on the floor with one arm in a sling and the other hand on his chest while sunglasses were over his eyes, "Do you need some help?" she asked.

"My kids are in the manager's office calling 9-1-1," LaRusso replied. "Some guy named Clavo Cruz took my little Maggie...fired at me...said that some guy named Stewart would like her."

With a great effort, LaRusso managed to get to his feet and immediately regretted it, "Oww," he hissed, blinking. "I was already sore when I got to Miami two days ago and now I have a concussion...that lunatic who took Maggie clocked me over the head with a chair."

"C'mon, let's get your boys and go outside," Emily said as she led LaRusso to the managers office and suddenly saw the boys looking at the body. "You two, away from the crime scene."

BJ looked up from the body, "Officer Wolfe?" he asked, surprised to see Emily standing there with his dad and a little girl in her arms. "I didn't know you lived here."

"I'll explain things later," Emily softly replied. "Now you and Adam come out here now."

BJ nodded and brought Adam out of the office, "We're going to go outside and wait while I call the police department," Emily explained as the group moved towards the exit.

Right as soon as they had left the building, Emily guided LaRusso and his sons over to a bench and sighed, "Bobby, you and your boys stay here..."

"Emily, some pedophile freak took my daughter," LaRusso argued. "I'm not going to just sit still."

Emily scoffed, "Well, my ex-husband took my infant children and I only have one back," she snapped, the anger evident in her voice. "Does your uncle even know you're back in Miami?"

"He knows that I was shot in New York, but he doesn't know that I'm here," LaRusso replied in a frosty tone. "I came here with my kids to get away from Amanda...she's gotten worse..."

Sirens could suddenly be heard and Emily looked down the street and saw police cars and a rescue engine speeding down the street towards the building. Behind her, she could hear other tenants coming out of the building, some with children too young to be in school.

"I think I know who the dead man in the office is," Emily whispered to Bobby. "I can't be sure, but I think that was Bob Keaton, the owner of the building...I think someone's looking to draw Ray out of hiding...they know he's alive and involved in the underground network..."

* * *

As the cars approached, Suzie Barnham-Keaton was moving throughout the building with her daughter, shutting off the fire sprinklers. She had known that Clavo was coming as Bob had warned her to hide with Madison and he would protect them, even with his life.

Sighing, Suzie held Madison close and quickly left the building. It was time to meet up with Ray.

* * *

Fighting the urge to swear, Horatio pulled the Hummer up to the curb and getting out, he quickly crossed the crime tape and spotted Speed and Alexx lingering next to a gurney containing a body bag. Behind them, there was a group of concerned looking women being guarded by a cop.

"Alexx, who's our victim?" Horatio asked as he moved over to them.

Alexx sighed and held up a wallet with a gloved hand, "The victim's ID says his name is Bob Keaton...he was stabbed several times," she explained.

"According to other tenants, Bob Keaton's the manager of this apartment building," Tim explained, a sigh in his voice. "From what I could gather, this is some sort of safehouse for abused spouses and their children...Tripp's inside with one of the tenants and someone who was just moving in."

Horatio raised an eyebrow, "You mentioned on the phone that the fire alarm went off," he commented. "Why would two tenants stay inside to get soaked by the fire sprinklers?"

"When the rescue truck got here, they said that the fire sprinklers had been turned off," Tim replied, holding up a bag of evidence. "When I got here, I got prints off the activation system."

Nodding, Horatio crossed his arms, "Again, why would two tenants refuse to evacuate with everyone else?" he asked, gazing at Speed. "It seems very unusual."

Before Tim could reply, a paramedic came out of the building, "Lieutenant Caine, it's good you're here," the paramedic said. "One of the tenants was injured and is refusing medical attention...There's some blonde woman with a baby trying to calm him down that has a badge on her that's registered to the MDPD...Detective Tripp said to come get you."

"Speed, go and process the manager's office," Horatio replied firmly. "Alexx, take the body back to the lab and process it...I'll go and talk to these two tenants...maybe we'll get some answers."

"Calliegh already started, but I'll go help," Tim replied, walking off into the building.

Horatio looked at Alexx, "Where's Eric?" he asked. "I thought the whole team was on this."

"Timmy paged him five times and nothing," Alexx stated. "I have a body to examine."

Alexx rolled the gurney off towards the coroner van that was down the street. Horatio looked at the crowd of women and felt a pang in his heart for all those who had escaped bad situations.

* * *

Ignoring the pain that shot through his body, LaRusso remained sitting on the stairwell and gazed at BJ and Adam, who were with Tripp. He then gazed at Emily through his sunglasses.

Emily's "emergency bag" sat at her feet and was closed.

A paramedic lingered nearby, holding a medical bag and watching LaRusso with concern.

Shifting Julliet to her other arm, Emily joined LaRusso on the steps. LaRusso said nothing and lowered his head. He was clearly embarrassed about being involved in this situation.

Emily sighed, but before she could speak, she heard a voice, "Miss Wolfe," she heard a familiar voice say in a concerned tone. "What are you and Julliet doing here and who is this gentleman?"

"Lieutenant Caine, Julliet and I live here," Emily replied in a tight tone.

Horatio raised an eyebrow, "Do you happen to know where Mr. Wolfe might be?" he asked, as there had been no trace of the CSI for weeks, only an email indicating that he was taking an undetermined LOA from the lab.

"I don't know why that concerns you," Emily replied, nervousness in her voice. "Ryan hasn't done anything wrong and neither have I...I've been trying to recover and raise my daughter..."

Horatio nodded, "All right, who is the gentleman with the sunglasses then?" he asked.

There was silence and then Emily looked at LaRusso, "You can tell him," she whispered to Bobby in a gentle tone. "He's not going to judge you for something that was out of your control."

For a moment, the man hesitated and then removed his sunglasses, revealing a very nasty bruise around a very swollen left eye, "Bobby, where did you get that black eye?" Horatio asked, frowning at the injury on his nephew's face. "Are you hurt anywhere else besides your shoulder wound?"

LaRusso remained silent, "Lieutenant Caine, could we speak in private at the PD?" Emily asked in a concerned tone. "You can process Bobby's clothes and injuries there...is that okay, Bobby?"

"I can't take my kids to Miami PD," LaRusso protested. "They-they don't know..."

Horatio nodded and moved away for a moment, "Speed!" he shouted. "Come to the stairs!"

There was movement and Tim appeared, "Speed, I need you to call your parents and ask if they can look after a few children for a few hours," Horatio stated. "Miss Wolfe, I would like you to leave Julliet with Speed's parents. It will be easier for us to talk without distractions."

Tim nodded and got his cell-phone out of his pocket, "Now, Miss Wolfe, one of the paramedics mentioned that you had an MDPD badge on you," Horatio stated as Tim called his parents and walked off to carry on a conversation away from prying ears. "Who's badge is it?"

"Uh, Horatio, it's her police badge," Tripp spoke up suddenly. "Before her abduction, Emily did some victims assistance work for the MDPD in conjunction with hospitals throughout Miami."

Horatio frowned, "Is that why you were targeted by the Cruz brothers and Stetler?" he asked, a concerned tone in his voice. "Maybe they perceived you as some sort of threat?"

"Lieutenant, with all due respect, this isn't the appropriate place to be having this conversation," Emily replied, gazing at Bobby. "I think we should go to the PD and continue things from there."

Just then, Tim returned, "H, my parents are on their way over," he stated. "Before you called me over here, I found a couple of NYPD badges...I bagged them..."

"NYPD?" LaRusso asked, rising shakily from the steps. "How is that possible?"

Horatio sighed, "Speed, continue processing the scene," he ordered. "Miss Wolfe, Bobby, we'll go back to the lab and take things from there...Speed, run those badge numbers."

"Do you want me to look after Julliet until my parents get here?" Tim offered. "Callieigh's doing fine processing the office and I really don't mind helping out."

Emily handed Julliet to Horatio, who passed her to Speed, "Speed, once your parents come and collect all these kids, I want you and Calliegh to go through the other apartments to see if there's any other evidence...Bobby, can you walk on your own or do you need help?"

"I'll help him," Emily stated as she picked up her bag and offered her arm to Bobby.

Bobby took Emily's arm and winced in pain as she helped him down the stairs, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the emergency room?" Tripp asked, noting the look of pain on Bobby's face.

"No, no hospitals," LaRusso stated. "Thanks for your help Detective Tripp and Officer-?"

"Speedle," Tim replied, giving LaRusso a strange look. "Tim Speedle. I'm a CSI."

LaRusso nodded and looked the boys, "BJ, Adam, I want you to listen to Officer Speedle," he said in a gentle tone.

"Will Officer Speedle help find Maggie?" BJ asked, a frown on his face. "That bad man took her."

Tim raised an eyebrow, "A child was abducted after Bob Keaton was killed," Horatio explained.

"Some guy named Clavo Cruz took my sister," BJ spoke up. "He tried to hurt me and my dad."

Horatio fought the urge to swear, "Speed, when your parents come, I want you to search the rest of the building for any possible evidence," he ordered. "Frank, I want you to talk with BJ and Adam until Speed's parents come...get what information you can about Maggie's abduction."

As the trio moved towards the exit, LaRusso placed the sunglasses back over his eyes.

* * *

Trying not to show that he was feeling panicked, Ray guided Suzie and Madison out of the hangar and across the tarmac to a private plane that looked ready to depart.

"Ray, where are we going?" Suzie asked as they reached the plane.

Ray didn't reply; he ushered Suzie and Madison into the plane and then boarded, "I have a hiding spot in New York City," he explained as he pulled the stairs in and sealed the plane. "I don't know what happened, but the whole underground network is compromised...Bernie's after Madison."

"I don't understand," Suzie said as she settled Madison into a seat. "Why?"

Moving to the controls, Ray sat in the pilot's seat, "It's an attempt by Bernie and the Cruz brothers to draw me out from underground," he said, working the controls. "It's not going to work, though...Nobody will catch us in New York."

Suzie held Madison close and was silent as Ray prepared for takeoff out of Miami.

Little did any of them know that a certain airport security officer was watching them.

Ryan watched for a moment and as the plane streaked down the runway, he turned away.

Since Ray was escaping Miami, something must have gone wrong at the apartment building.

Horrified that Emily and Julliet could be in danger, Ryan took off at a run out of the hangar.

* * *

It didn't take long for Horatio, Emily, and LaRusso to arrive back at the MDPD and the elevator to the Crime Lab was done in absolute silence. Nobody felt like talking about the situation.

Almost immediately after getting off the elevator, LaRusso slowly moved away from Horatio and Emily, "Maybe I should have gone to the hospital," he whispered in a faint voice.

"The only one at this Crime Lab right now who knows you is me," Horatio stated. "I keep some spare clothes in my locker that you can wear while your current clothes are processed."

LaRusso flinched, "I've been wearing these since the day before I left New York with my kids," he said. "I was hoping that nobody would notice, but I think it was noticed by a couple of people...my paramedic friend, for one."

Before Horatio could reply, the elevator door opened and Eric walked on to the Crime Lab floor with a camera around his neck and a crime scene kit in his hand.

"Eric, you were paged several times," Horatio stated, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Eric shrugged, "I had some things going on, H," he replied. "My pager was turned off."

LaRusso scowled at Eric, "Oh, really, you had some things going on?" he hissed, his voice full of anger and anxiety. "Well, while you had some things going on, I got hit over the head with a chair and some psychopath kidnapped my six year old daughter...I don't really want to hear excuses."

"You didn't say anything about being hit over the head with a chair," Emily said, concern in her voice as she moved towards LaRusso. "Maybe you SHOULD go to the hospital."

LaRusso shook his head and moved back towards the elevator, "No, I should go look for Maggie since nobody else seems to care about her," he snapped. "I don't know why I came here."

"Bobby, you are in no shape to be running around Miami," Horatio stated firmly. "Eric, since Calliegh, Speed, and Tripp are at the scene of a murder, you can help Mr. LaRusso."

Eric gazed at Emily, "If this man needs help, why are you here?" he asked.

Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out an MDPD badge that she had gotten from the backpack before leaving it in Horatio's Hummer, "I work for Victims Assistance in conjunction with both the MDPD and the hospitals...I also live in the building where Mr. LaRusso was moving into with his children...The building where the manager was also killed..."

"Victims Assistance?" Eric asked, doubt in his tone. "Why are you at the Crime Lab then?"

LaRusso sighed and took off his sunglasses, "I'm in need of some help," he said, lifting his head so that Eric could see his injured eye. "It was recommended that I come to the MDPD for it."

"If you're injured, why didn't you want to go to the hospital?" Eric asked.

LaRusso sighed, "I have my reasons," he stated. "Anyway, can you help me out?"

"Eric, I need you to go to the locker room and get the spare clothes from my locker," Horatio stated, wanting to keep his nephew's discomfort level to a minimum.

As Eric moved back towards the elevator, LaRusso suddenly sank to his knees, "It's so warm in here," he whispered faintly. "This vest under my shirt is getting very heavy..."

Horatio frowned and carefully removed LaRusso's coat, revealing a dark, long sleeved button-up shirt that was buttoned up to the neck and had a bullet hole in the chest. He then carefully unbuttoned the shirt and saw that there was a bulletproof vest with a bullet in it.

"What's with the bulletproof vest?" Eric asked, confused as to why LaRusso was wearing one.

Emily knelt down next to LaRusso and, removing the sling from his arm, she gently eased the coat off of him, which revealed an NYPD badge clipped to LaRusso's dark pants, "I'm a beat cop in New York City," LaRusso explained in a very faint voice. "The guy who took Maggie shot into the vest...I bought it right after I got here. My kids thought it was cool looking."

"I'm calling for Rescue," Eric said as he pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket.

While Eric called Rescue, Horatio and Emily helped LaRusso to lie down on the floor, "I don't feel good," LaRusso whispered. "Amanda came to me in my hospital room...at Mercy."

The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, "Eric, when Rescue gets here, I want you to go with Mr. LaRusso to the hospital and stay with him," Horatio said. "I need to have a conversation with Miss Wolfe and then we'll both come to the hospital."

Eric put the phone away and moved over to where LaRusso lay, "Who's Amanda?" he asked.

LaRusso looked at Emily, "It's all right, Bobby, talk to Officer Delko," Emily said in a soothing tone. "He'll go with you to the hospital and stay until Lieutenant Caine and I come, okay?"

LaRusso nodded and Horatio gestured down the hall, "We can talk in my office," Horatio said to Emily. "Eric, keep him awake and talking...don't leave him alone, even for a minute."

Eric nodded and knelt down next to LaRusso. Emily turned and faced Horatio.

"I believe you have a lot of explaining to do, Miss Wolfe," Horatio said. "Follow me."

Emily nodded and followed Horatio down the long hallway for a long overdue chat.

* * *

Having caught a taxi from the airport, Ryan slipped into the apartment that he and Emily shared and immediately saw that everything had been soaked by fire sprinklers.

Ryan had seen Speed's bike and the cop car half a block away, so he had escaped from the taxi, had slipped into the building through a back entrance and gone straight to the apartment.

Cursing under his breath, Ryan walked around the apartment, looked in the bedrooms, and as he moved over to the kitchen, he noticed the wet laptop on the table and that Emily's bag was gone.

Ryan frowned; Emily had obviously taken Julliet and her emergency bag somewhere, but why?

Ryan was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Tim come into the apartment, "What do you think you're doing in here?" Tim asked, as he didn't recognize Ryan from the back.

Ryan turned and Tim suddenly looked surprised, "Aren't you supposed to be on LOA from the lab?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing poking around this apartment?"

"I actually live here with my sister and my niece," Ryan replied in a miffed tone. "What the heck happened to the apartment and where are they?"

Tim sighed, "The apartment manager was murdered and a little girl was kidnapped," he explained in a toneless voice. "One of the little girl's brothers told Detective Tripp that Clavo Cruz attacked his father and took his sister. Someone pulled the fire alarm to attract attention and it set off the sprinklers..Where have you been today?"

"I was at work," Ryan snapped. "I work all day so that Emily can look after Julliet."

Narrowing his eyes, Tim spotted the computer, "What's with the laptop?" he asked. "Also, why are you here if you work day shifts?"

Ryan crossed his arms, "I'm not allowed to say anything," he stated. "It's against the rules."

"Okay, so you're being tight-lipped and you have no credible alibi for when this happened," Tim stated, annoyance in his voice. "Are these rules something that Emily agreed to as well?"

Ryan looked at the floor, "If you want to place me under arrest, you might as well do it," he stated.

Tim frowned, "Why are you being so difficult all of a sudden?" he asked, noting Ryan's anxiety.

"The apartment's different than I left it this morning and it's empty," Ryan said anxiously. "It freaked me out when I came back and saw water everywhere...things are out of place."

Tim watched as Ryan moved around the apartment, "Emily filled a backpack with stuff of hers and Julliet's in case she had to leave at a moment's notice," Ryan said. "The backpack isn't here and Emily left her laptop behind...Everything else seems fine, except for the drenched furniture."

"Ryan, do you have OCD by chance?" Tim asked, as Ryan's odd behavior was reminding him of something he had read in a book. "Your behavior right now fits some of the symptoms."

Ryan froze and looked embarrassed, "I never told anyone but Horatio that," he said. "He was impressed with the way I keep my guns clean and hired me...How did you know?"

"I do a lot of reading," Tim replied. "By the way, Emily went to the PD with Horatio and the guy whose daughter was kidnapped by Clavo...apparently, there was some sort of altercation."

Ryan raised an eyebrow, "Was Emily or this mystery guy involved in the murder?" he asked.

"No, Calliegh and I found a couple of NYPD badges in the manager's office," Tim stated, blinking in confusion as to why Ryan was so worried about Emily. "The mystery guy's left arm was in some sort of sling, indicating that he had been injured...His name was Bobby LaRusso and your sister seems to know him even though his ID says he's a beat cop from New York City. His sons are with my parents. "

Ryan stared at Tim, stunned, "Emily lived in New York for a little while," he stated. "There was a time in our childhood where we were separated by law enforcement officials…she ended up there in a group home...I got placed in a better situation and I shouldn't have."

When Tim didn't say anything, Ryan swallowed hard and gazed at the floor, thinking about the past and all that had happened to him and his sister...It was all slowly coming back to haunt him...and would show his friends and family some horrific truths.

* * *

In the safety of Horatio's office, Emily sighed and plugged in a flash drive that contained basic files on her past and people she had helped in her role as a victims assistance worker.

"I lived in New York for a little while and made some friends," Emily explained as she moved the mouse to a file and opened it. "I lived there for a little bit...it was a nice change from California."

Horatio nodded, "Eric and Calliegh found that you married Bernard Marquez in California," he commented. "They also found that you divorced him a year later due to irreconcilable differences."

"I am not going to talk to you about that," Emily stated in a firm tone. "I will, however, say that my work has taken me through many situations and I have worked to help many people."

Horatio sighed, "Miss Wolfe, I should tell you that Rick Stetler broke out of prison the other day with assistance from a child molester named Stewart Otis," he explained. "Your ex-husband may have assisted in their escape and might be meeting up with Clavo."

Emily gasped, but before she could reply, Horatio's phone rang, "This is Horatio," Horatio said as he picked up the receiver. "..Mhm….Tripp, did you double check that?"….okay…I will phone New York."

With a deep frown on his face, Horatio hung up the phone, "That was Detective Tripp," he explained in a no-nonsense, yet concerned tone. "He says that he contacted New York and the badges belong to an ex-cop named Edward Addison and an Anti-Crime Sergeant named Brendan Finney…Now, Miss Wolfe, I know you don't want to talk about your past, but for the sake of Maggie LaRusso's life…I need your help."

Emily nodded, "I'll do whatever I can to help," she promised. "Even if it means digging up dirt on myself."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital, Grace Finney walked into a private hospital room that was on the Recovery floor with a fast food bag in her hand and drink cups containing vanilla milkshakes. She smiled when she saw that Brendan had fallen asleep sitting up and there was a book on his lap that she had bought him recently.

As they left the airport in Miami, she and Brendan had been held at gunpoint by a masked man who had demanded money. Brendan had refused and cussing the guy out, he had moved away with her.

The man had become angry and had tried to advance on her. Brendan had sent her back into the airport to call for help and had engaged in a fight with the man. By the time Grace returned, the man was gone and Brendan was laying on the ground, badly beaten and unconscious. His NYPD badge was also missing, but he had been too messed up to do anything about it and he asked Grace not to say anything; he didn't want to put her in unnecessary danger.

Now, instead of a relaxing holiday from stress, they were at the hospital. Brendan had suffered a mild concussion, collapsed lungs that had tubes in them, three broken ribs, and a punctured spleen that had required surgical removal. He had several IV's in his arms and Grace rarely left his side, except to use the bathroom.

"Brendan," Grace said as she set the bag and cups down on the portable table. "Brendan?"

Brendan remained asleep, so Grace moved over to his bedside and smoothed some sweat off his forehead, which caused Brendan to open his eyes, "Hey," Brendan said in a tired voice. "Did you get some food?"

"Yeah, I got some burgers, fries, and vanilla milkshakes," Grace replied in a gentle tone. "How are you feeling?"

Blinking tiredly, Brendan sighed, "I must have fallen asleep while I was trying to read," he said with a yawn.

Grace gently stroked his hair, "As much as I hate to say it, I think I need more sleep," Brendan said. "I know you went to all the trouble of finding something that I actually like, but my body is crapping out on me right now."

Grace smiled and helped Brendan to lay down, "It's okay, the food will be here when you're ready for it and so will I," she said in a soothing tone. "Just rest and I'll stay with you….Do you want me to call the cops about your badge yet?"

"If you can find one that won't automatically assume that I'm up to no good, then sure," Brendan mumbled sleepily as he relaxed and closed his eyes. "I love you, Grace….I'm so sorry that I'm dragging you down."

As Brendan slept, Grace gently took his hand, "You're not dragging me down," she whispered. "I love you."

No matter what happened, Grace knew that she would stay true to Brendan, even if nobody else would.

Little did she know, however, that Brendan's integrity and freedom would soon be called into question because of the evilness of others.

* * *

**To be continued in a Third Watch/CSI Miami crossover story that will be titled "Collision of Time and Trials."**

**"It isn't the first time that New York and Miami have met to solve problems...and it won't be the last..."**


End file.
